Secret of Hogwarts
by DarkAngelPearl
Summary: [Used to be NO TITLE WHATSOEVER] Two 15yr olds outcast by the people they love. One of them having powers by mistake, the other with a mysterious past even to them. Two different lives. Two different pasts. Same future [During 6th book spoilers]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey! Back again with crazycatluver. She thought up another plot to a story and I'm here to help out. We hope this story is to your liking and that you people will review afterwards! It's going to be during Harry and the gang 6th's year (even though the book is coming out soon! squeals) so no complaining!**

**Disclaimer: We, crazycatluver and I, don't own nothing that you all recognize in the Harry Potter books. We only own that which is ours!**

**Chapter 1**

"_I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to become what I am, we were just joking around, I didn't know what kind of trouble that book would get us in – I now know."_

Those were the thoughts of an ordinary girl from a small, nearly unknown, town in Ontario, Canada – well; at least she used to be ordinary. She ran from them, as far away as she could from them – they wanted her dead now. Her name was feared and hated, a witch they called her, and all she did was read a few lines from a book as a dare.

She ran into a forest, with her long black cloak flying behind her as she clutched her backpack close to her, glancing behind her every once in awhile. The pack contained a change of clothing, some money, a few other items and a book, the same book that cursed her with the gift.

Her name is Amarna Jasmine, or AJ as most called her. She fell tiredly against an old oak tree and gasped for air. AJ had jet-black hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders in loose curls, or at least, it would if it weren't matted and had a few twigs and leaves in it. She had two different colored eyes, her right one was a dark blue (her original color) and her left one was a golden color. AJ was tall for her age, which was fifteen; she was almost six feet tall and had a lanky build to her.

As she leaned up against the tree, her thoughts drifted back to a week previous, when everything started, and everything changed…

_AJ smiled widely at her best friend, Mark, as the two climbed through the window of the church attic. Their small town was very religious and nearly everything AJ did was counted as a sin, getting her into trouble a lot._

"_We shouldn't be here AJ, Reverend will be angry at us, it's forbidden to be here." Mark protested as AJ searched through a few old texts._

"_By all means, you can leave. I'm looking for that old book I found in the library, remember it? I thought Ms. Kay was going to have a heart attack when I showed it to her!" AJ replied, laughing a bit._

"_Ever wonder why?" Mark asked suddenly, causing AJ to turn back to him. "I've heard stories about it, bad stories about witchcraft and stuff like that. Amarna, can't we just leave?"_

_AJ sighed in defeat and about to turn around, when something shiny caught her eye. Walking over to it, she saw that it was the long blade of a sword and underneath it was the book. Just for fun, and to put her friend in a panic, she strapped the sword around her small waist and picked the book up in her hands._

"_Amarna, if you don't think that it will do anything, I dare you to read the first sentence." AJ rolled her dark blue eyes at him and opened up the book to the first page._

"_Song of bird, call of mammal, gills of fish, magic of the dead one, hear my voice, come to me." AJ read, her voice echoing a bit off the walls. She turned back to Mark with a playful smirk on her face. "You see, nothing hap–"_

_She was cut off by a shout and a bright golden light coming out of the pages of the book and surrounding her. AJ heard voices, animal voices calling to her and she saw them, she saw the animals in the light, swirling around her and slowly disappearing into her body. Last was a bright light that encircled her with a blue aura before disappearing too._

"_W-what happened, Mark?" AJ asked, dropping the book because her hands were shaking so much._

_She looked over to her friend with her newly colored eye; her left one was golden, like many of the animals in this world._

"_Why did you do it? Why did you take the dare?" Mark asked._

_AJ took a step towards him, but Mark stepped back too because the Reverend bounded up the stairs._

"_What's going on here?" he asked._

"_She read from the book!" Mark stated, pointing a shaky finger at his best friend, who still had the sword strapped to the belt of her loose jeans. The Reverend looked AJ over with hatred and fear in his eyes. "I tried to stop her, really, I did."_

"_No you didn't! You're the one who told me to read it in the first place!" AJ shouted, before doubling over in pain as she morphed into a lioness and back. "What's happened to me?"_

"_You will have to die, witch, there is nothing the church can do for you now." Reverend said, turning to go back down the stairs when Mark pushed him the opposite way._

"_Run, get out of here!" he said, shoving the book into AJ's hands along with a black cloak. "The book will tell all, go!"_

That was the last time AJ ever saw him alive, unless you would count his brutal death the town caused him to have because he helped her escape.

AJ had run through her memories, tripping over fallen logs and roots, until she came to an abandoned barn.

"Where do I go where I can be accepted for who I am, and the mistakes I've made?" AJ wondered out loud, tears falling down her tanned cheeks as she hugged her cloak close to her to try and keep warm in the cold night of late July as she lay down in a pile of clean hay.

"Maybe tomorrow will be a better day." She sighed, closing her eyes and slowly giving into the darkness as she fell into a fitful sleep.

**A/N: That was the first chapter! Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Mia Justine Skye held back the angry tears that threaten to fall. She stared unbelieving at the people she thought to be her parents.

"Why have you never told me?" Mia asked through clenched teeth.

"Because we never thought you would turn out like… _them_." The man who was pretending to be her father said.

"And all this time I thought you were my real parents." Mia told them, her anger rising.

Her fists were clenched at her sides, trying to breathe normally.

"We were until you showed us a bit of your freak powers that you have." The woman said harshly, turning her back on Mia.

The words cut deep into Mia's heart. Through the two adults in front of her were not her real parents, she still loved them if they were. Instead of falling into temptation of running up to her room and hide, Mia asked one more question that she hoped they could answer.

"Who _are_ my real parents?"

Her 'father' shook his head. "We don't know. We found you on our doorstep one night with a letter asking to take care of you and when your birthday was."

Nodding her head, Mia turned and ran upstairs to her room. Not wanting to hear anymore of their hurtful words or their explanation of not wanting Mia anymore. Will, her 'mother' not wanting her anymore.

"M-Mia." Her 'father' called after her.

But Mia slammed her door shut and locked it. She walked over to her stereo and turned on the CD player, raising the volume to full blast. The lyrics and musical instruments of Linkin Park Meteora flowed out of the speakers and around the small room. Thinking on only one thing, Mia rushed over to her bed and picked up her backpack. She dumped all of her school things on her bed, then went around her room and begun to put in all that she needed.

Looking down at her desk, Mia heard car doors being open. Looking out the window in front of her desk, Mia saw the people she thought were her parents leaving.

"All the better." Mia said, brushing the tears away.

Rushing faster, the young girl grabbed all that she needed, as will as that she didn't need but want to have with her. After she finished, Mia turned off the CD player, took the Linkin Park CD with her and put the radio into a rock station, leaving the stereo on. Mia walked over to the door and looked back into her room. Memories of good and bad times with friends or family rushed past before her eyes.

Silently saying goodbye, Mia shouldered her backpack and left her home, not once looking back.

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Mia gasped, snapping her eyes open. She quickly sat up in her bed, a hand covering her face. She felt the tears freshly falling down her face.

"_Only a dream. Just a dream."_

It may have been a dream but it happened four years ago when she was only eleven years old. Now living in a room upstairs of a dinner she works in, Mia has lived there for the past three and a half years. She has disappeared from her hometown in California and changed her name so as to not let anyone find her no more. Mia now lived in a small town in Wisconsin, not a single relative around.

The owner of the diner pounded his fist on the door. "Get up! You have to start Rachel's shift soon."

"I'm up! I'm up!" Mia yelled, rolling out of bed.

Waist length, light brown hair was frizzy and tangled. Mia quickly brushed out the knots and braided her hair. She changed into the pale green uniform and tied the small apron around her waist. Once Mia had on her white sneakers, she walked down the stairs and into the somewhat empty diner of the 50s.

Light blue eyes scanned those who have been served and those who have yet to be. Walking behind the counter, Mia checked in and then grabbed a notepad and a pen. She started to take orders, smiling to the elderly and the kids. But she always avoided the cops whenever they were in and hide out in the kitchen. The diner sells alcohol as there is a sports bar connected to it. And nobody could work there if they are under twenty-one years of age. But when Mia turned up cold and hungry one winter in that diner, the owner felt pity towards the young girl and let her live in the upstairs room and gave her the waitress job. But she had to pay rent to him.

About an hour later, a figure walked in with a cloak covering their front, their hood up and sunglasses on. Everyone eyed the figure, watching them as they went to a booth in the back and sat down. Everyone went back to what they were doing, taking no heed of the stranger. Several of the waitresses girls didn't dare go near the figure, too afraid of the mysterious air they held.

Sighing, Mia grabbed a menu and made her way to the figure. Placing the menu in front of them, Mia smiled.

"Would you like something to drink while you decide what you want to eat?"

"Water please." A girl's voice met Mia's ears as the figure smiled back. "With ice."

Mia smiled widely. "Sure thing hun. I'll be back."

And that is how they first met. What happens next will change both of their lives as a new friendship will be awakening. Challenges will be presented to them, as they will be tested with their trust, loyalty, and honesty to one another.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

AJ looked around the diner from behind her dark sunglasses. Everyone was either staring at her, or trying to avoid her gaze. The waitress who was serving her was nice; she looked rather young to be working there though.

The book was on the table in front of her, waiting to be opened and used. AJ quickly shoved it back into her bag as the waitress brought her drink over.

"Anything else I can get for ya?" she asked, handing AJ her ice water.

AJ looked at the menu in front of her and mentally calculated how much money she had; it wasn't enough to get her anything. She had, after all, been wandering aimlessly around Canada and the United States for nearly two months now, using up what little money she had brought while she quickly tried to escape.

"No, that's alright." She said quietly.

The waitress looked at her strangely, but went back to serving other people. It wasn't until an hour later that AJ decided that that diner wasn't the best place in the world to stay too long as a group of teenagers came over and sat down at her booth with her.

"Hey there doll," one of them said, sitting down beside AJ as his friends took the opposite. "What's with the dark look?"

AJ froze and her heart began to race against her ribcage. "Please leave me alone." She said quietly.

She started to feel her hands begin to get black fur and claws; she quickly tried to hide them under the table though. AJ had found out before that her shape shifting ability not only works when she tells it to, but when fear takes over her mind too, hence, why she is slowly shifting into her panther form.

"Now, now girly, I'm afraid we can't just let you leave. The Reverend is offering a large reward for your death, _witch_." The teen replied, reaching into his coat pocket for his weapon.

AJ panicked as her panther form was out in full force. She lunged at the teen, knocking the weapon from his hand, sending them both sprawling onto the ground.

"_This can't be good."_ AJ thought as the four teenagers slowly formed a circle around her.

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Mia just set down a plate of pancakes with strawberries to a child when she heard something falling to the floor and a few cries from the other side of the diner. Looking back, Mia saw a group of teens surrounding what looked to be a panther. The other waitress' started screaming, running towards the back of the kitchen, while some of the men around started yelling about a witch. Mia panicked, thinking they were yelling at her, but when she noticed that the mysterious girl with the sunglasses and the cloak to be gone, she immediately put two and two together.

Mia made her way over to the circling teens, one of them picking up the object she had heard fell to the floor. The teen pointed the .45 gun at the panther.

"What are you doing Jake?" Mia asked, not knowing what to do.

The girl did nothing but came in to get something to eat. She wasn't bothering anyone, just kept to herself.

"This doesn't concern you April!" Jake told her, pulling back the trigger. "Sorry girly, but the Reverend _is_ offering a lot of money for your death. Goodbye."

Mia panicked and felt the feeling she felt four years ago when she panicked. The power surged through her body as the ground around her begins to swirl at an unknown wind. Mia let the power surging through her thrust forward, hitting Jake just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the panther's arm, the mysterious girl quickly transforming back into her human form, cradling her bloody arm.

Mia gulped down the nervousness that started to form as all those that she knew for years stared at her in disbelief. Many of her friends backed away from her, fear visibly in their eyes.

"You're a damn witch?" Jake yelled in disbelief, pointing the gun at Mia.

Holding back the tears, Mia summoned the power that she was able to control the past years and let a strong wind circled around Jake's hand that held the gun and thrust it out the window. The fairly warm air of late July filled within the diner as the tension and fear continue to develop around the two girls.

The owner of the diner cocked the trigger of his shotgun, pointing at Mia. Mia turned and tried to tell the owner she was truly sorry through her eyes, as she spoke up.

"Jim…"

"I had a damn _witch_ in my diner for _three and a half years_!" Jim yelled, his face turning red from both anger and embarrassment.

"Yes, but it's not-" Mia tried to reason but Jim interrupted her.

"Shut up!" He motioned for both girls. "You two, upstairs now! Jake, call the cops!"

The mysterious girl stood and grabbed her bag, while following Mia up the stairs. Mia opened the door to her home and was roughly pushed in by the mysterious girl from behind as Jim thrust his shotgun at her back.

"But I never would have harmed you, Jim! You gave me a home and a job! Why would I have'd hurt you!" Mia cried as Jim quickly shut the door and locked it from the outside.

"I trusted you, _witch_!" Jim yelled back and walked down the stairs.

Mia put her forehead to the door and cried, sliding down to the floor. The mysterious girl frowns in sympathy, putting her bag on the floor.

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AJ walked over to the young waitress that was kind to her and helped her out. She felt bad that this had to happen to her and didn't know what to do. AJ kneeled and put a hand on the girl's shoulder, staining the uniform with blood.

"I'm sorry that I got you into this." AJ replied in a soft whisper.

The girl looked up at AJ, wiping her tears. "It was bound to happen sooner or later." The girl held out her hand. "The name's Mia. Mia Justine Skye. What's yours?"

AJ took Mia's hand and shook it. "Amarna Jasmine, AJ for short." AJ hesitated to ask a question that was bothering her but got the courage to ask. "So you're a witch also?"

Mia smiled sadly, nodding her head. "Yeah. I found out four years ago."

AJ nodded and looked around the small room. There was a window next to the bed, a willow tree next to it.

"What kind of powers do you have?" AJ asked, looking back to the girl.

Mia stood and shrugged her shoulders, going about her room. "I have this kind of wind and ice element and reading minds." Mia grabbed a red bandana and walked over to AJ. "Let me bandage that wound of yours. Did it go through your arm?"

AJ shook her head, pulling the sleeve up to see a small scratch across the arm. "It just past through the outer side, that's all."

Mia quickly wrapped the small scratch and smiled at AJ. "So, I guess we're done for, huh? How old are you?"

"Fifteen. You?"

Mia nodded, "same."

"Listen, this is my fault that all of this happened. I'll help you escape from this place."

Mia bit her lip but heard the sirens coming from a distance. "But-"

AJ grabbed Mia's arms. "They might kill you if not put you in jail."

The sirens grew closer and closer. Mia closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them.

"Okay. Just let me change out of this uniform."

AJ sat down on Mia's bed and waited for her fellow witch to get changed.

"What are your powers?" Mia asked, trying to make small talk while grabbing a few of her things.

"It's rather complicated, all I can explain now is that I wasn't suppose to have these powers. I'm a shape shifter and a Wiccan, with a book full of tricks. I'll tell you everything later, for now let's just get out of here."

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Jim and Jake were talking to the sheriff outside his diner. "That's right. One of the girls started up some trouble and Jake tried to stop her when another one came and threw Jake on to a table with other customers."

Jake nodded, "Yeah. But my friends somehow were able to hit the girls unconscious and locked them upstairs."

An eagle crying out rang through the small diner. Everyone looked up to see a giant black eagle flying from the second floor of the diner.

"That's one of the girls! She could have changed into animals!" Jim cried, pointing his shotgun at the eagle.

The sheriff ordered for the others to start shooting at the eagle when a tornado of dust formed around them. It blinded the people for a few minutes, the giant eagle flying out of view. The tornado died down and the people around started looking for the giant eagle, only to find none around.

"Damn it!" Jim yelled, throwing down his hat.

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Mia laughed as she sat on top of the giant eagle. "That was great." Mia then pointed down into a small wooded area. "Fly into those trees. They're private for the rich."

The eagle flew down just low enough for Mia to jump down on to a tree. The eagle transformed into a smaller bird and flew to the ground and changed back to AJ. Once Mia was on the ground, she shouldered her backpack as she handed AJ hers.

"That was a lot of fun!" Mia said, not able to stop smiling.

AJ smiled back and shouldered her bag. "So, what do we do now?"

Mia shrugged and started walking east. "I have enough money I saved up from the three years of waitress-ing and everyone in the U.S. is probably looking for us now."

AJ eyed Mia for a moment, suspicion rising. "What are you planning?"

"Well…" Mia trailed off, bouncing forward and turned so she was facing AJ. "We could fly to Europe and just wander around. Either together or separate."

AJ thought it over, liking the idea. She always wanted to go to Europe, as did Mia, and just travel through it. And having someone she knows with her will be a lot better then by yourself.

AJ held out her hand, smiling. "Deal."

Mia smiled and shook AJ's hand. "Deal."

"But how are we going to pass through the security?" AJ asked, frowning.

"Good question." Mia frowned, thinking. She turned back around and walked next to her friend. "Well, you can't fly us there, that's for sure. You'll get tired easily."

AJ nodded, thinking over all the possibilities. When a few voices could be heard a few ways from them, both girls hid behind a tree. They carefully peered around to see a few older girls, maybe in their mid twenties, swimming in the lake. Their clothes and purses were near the tree the two teens were hiding.

Mia looked to AJ, who looked back at her. Biting their lips, both Mia and AJ nodded in unison. Mia created a small wind around the girls to blind them as AJ went and grabbed the purses and a few foods. When AJ ran past Mia, nodding, Mia started to run and let the wind die down.

"That was really weird." One of the girls said, as the others nodded in agreement.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Both AJ and Mia were in the bathroom of O'Hare airport in Chicago. Mia had her back turned to AJ, her eyes tightly shut. AJ held Mia's hair in her left hand, a pair of scissor on her right, getting ready to cut.

"Are you ready?" AJ asked cautiously.

"No." Mia said shakily. "But I have to do this."

Nodding, AJ brought the scissor close to Mia's hair and cut the waist long hair. She evened it out and stood back to admire her work.

"You can look now." AJ told her, throwing away the thick hair in the trash.

Mia cautiously opened her eyes and turned towards the mirror. Her eyebrows rose, sighing in longing. Mia's hair was now shoulder length, though only two bangs were not cut. Her hair curled towards her, making her look like more of a little girl then a teenager. AJ walked up next to Mia, holding up a box for dying hair.

"Ready to become a red head?"

Mia grimaced in disgust, AJ laughing.

"Wasn't there any other colors?" Mia asked, looking into the bag that had many different color dyes.

There were blonde, bleach blonde, black, dark brown, and a dark red. Mia stuck out her tongue, shaking her head.

"There's no way in hell I'm becoming a blonde, red doesn't suit me, and black just isn't my color."

AJ sighed, rolling her eyes. Sighing as well, Mia jumped on to the counter, careful not to sit on any water. Looking through the bag once more, AJ smirked, taking out a red streaked dye. She held it up to Mia to look at.

"How about you put red streaks in your hair and turned those bangs a red color?" AJ suggested.

Mia tilted her head, looking across to the other mirror, trying to picture herself with the red streaks and bangs. Suddenly her image across from her had the red streaks and the red bangs. Mia jumped up startled, her mouth slightly hanging in awe.

"Wow." Mia breathed, jumping off the counter.

AJ frowned in concern. "What?" AJ looked where her friend was looking at and jumped startled as well. "Wow."

Mia nodded, laughing. "Yeah." She then started to pose differently. "I don't look so bad with the red."

AJ smirked and looked at her friend, shaking the box. "So you want to do it?"

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Four hours later Mia was drying her hair with a towel, while several women stared at her as if she was crazy. Satisfied to how it was dry, Mia put the towel back into the plastic bag and handed it to AJ, who threw it away.

Mia put her fingers through her hair, sighing. "I miss my long hair but this would have to do." She mumbled, looking to her newly found friend, who handed her a small case with two round circles.

They each had one capital letter: an R and an L.

"Ready to change your eye colors?" AJ asked, smiling.

Mia opened the L one first and carefully picked up the green color contact. It took an hour to have them both on as the contacts did not want to stick on to her eyes. Once that was done and over with, both girls looked at Mia's new look. Her eyes were now an aqua color because of the light blue and the green contacts. As AJ looked in the mirror at her friend, she was trying to hide the smile beginning to form on her face.

Mia looked cross. "I don't look that bad, do I? Why don't I give you a makeover now?"

AJ laughed nervously and ran her fingers through her now brushed, silky and wavy black hair, then looked in the mirror at her different colored eyes.

"I think I'll survive if I stay like this." She said, trying to get off the subject. "If anyone recognizes me, I'll just morph into… what would you rather have, a cat, dog or bird?"

"A cat, I think." Mia replied, playing with her newly streaked hair. "But, you have to at least get streaks in your hair. You still look too much like you did back at the diner."

AJ groaned. "But I don't wanna." She whined. "You know what, fine, go ahead. Do whatever you feel like doing, I don't really care – just don't cut it."

Mia smirked and searching through the bag for the perfect color. Her search came to an end though, when her eyes met with the ideal hair color: pink.

AJ's eyes went large when she saw the bottle of dye. "Pink streaks I can live with, just not the whole thing."

Mia rolled her eyes and grabbed the scissors. After another two hours, AJ's hair was layered and had neon pink streaks in it.

"You know there really was no point in doing that, right?" asked AJ, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"I know, but it was fun!" Mia exclaimed, throwing out the towel AJ had used to dry her own hair.

"Uh-huh, we really should get those plane tickets now, before the rest of those crazy people come and try to kill me." AJ stated, packing up their stuff on the counter while receiving odd looks from the women in the washroom as well.

It was around 9:30 at night by the time the witches were ready to leave.

"Go into the bathroom stall and shift into a cat." Mia whispered once there was no one else in the room.

AJ walked into an open stall and closed it. Within a few minutes, a ct walked out from under it… it was black with pink streaks!

"This is all your fault, Mia." AJ said, her tail twitching in adjuration. "Talk about irony, the one time I finally figure out that I only turn into an animal with the color of my hair is when I have pink streaks in it!"

Mia was almost on the floor laughing. "Get into the carrier so we can get going." She managed to say after calming down.

AJ growled slightly and jumped into the animal carrier Mia had set onto the floor a while ago.

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"Are you sure I don't know you?" The guy at the ticket area asked Mia for the hundredth time, obviously trying to hit on her.

"For the last time, no damn it!" Mia nearly yelled. "Give me the ticket… _now_."

The guy looked slightly scared as he stamped Mia's stolen passport (without even looking at it) and handed it back to her. As Mia made her way down the corridor with her carry on bag, she was grateful that the guy didn't look at the picture of her that was taped to the side of the desk of the airplane entry. As for AJ, she was knocked back and forth in her carrier as she was loaded onto the plane's cargo hold.

"_I'm going to Europe, I'm going to Europe._" AJ sang to herself, dancing around slightly in her carrier. _"This is going to be a looooooong trip."_

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Around six and a half hours later, Mia was standing at the door of London's Airport with a look of both awe and relief on her face as she looked around. Even though it was three thirty in the morning, London still looked alive and ready for anything. AJ, who was still in cat form and in the carrier, just looked around, trying not to shout at her friend to let her out.

As if reading her mind, which Mia probably did, opened up the door to the carrier and let her friend out.

AJ ran over to an alleyway nearby and morphed back into her real self.

"London, here we come." She said, taking her bags from Mia and walking out into the busy streets of early London, England.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So, where to first?" Mia asked, looking around at the busy street.

AJ shrugged, also looking around from behind her dark sunglasses, trying to ignore the stares and odd looks she was receiving. She shook it off though, she knew that she looked odd with her long black cloak hiding most of her slim form from view, and her mysterious aura surrounding her and the neon pink streaks that were visible in her hair.

Although it was fairly busy, Mia could see that the people seemed to be worried and fear of something, or someone. They just seemed to continue on their lives, trying to act normal, even though they were looking over their shoulders every ten seconds.

"What we need is a brochure thingy of the sights or something." AJ replied, clutching her bag closer to herself, trying not to let anyone see the sword strapped to her slim waist that was hidden at the moment by her cloak.

"Or, we could just spin around a few times and walk in a random direction." Mia stated, twirling a piece of her long bangs in her fingers, forgetting her observation.

AJ nodded absentmindedly as she narrowed her eyes, sniffing the air slightly.

"What's wrong, AJ?"

The shape shifter didn't reply as she walked down a street with swift footsteps.

"My stupid animal senses are going crazy. They're mixing with my magic and now I can smell people with magical powers!" AJ stated, sniffing the air more along a street with buildings of book shops, restaurants, music stores, and cinemas.

"Oh you poor thing," said Mia, a tad sarcastically too. "So you're a blood hound now?"

"Magic Blood Hound, thank you very much." AJ replied, sighing in frustration. "You know what? Forget it! You know what else? Let's go check out the Tower of London, I've always wanted to see that."

With a dramatic sweep of her cloak, she turned around swiftly and started back for the busy, crowded streets of the city. The two managed to get a small, but cheap, room where they disposed of their luggage.

"Before we go to the tower, let's grab something to eat, I'm starving!" AJ said, flopping onto a chair and standing up suddenly as her stomach agreed with her.

Mia looked over the pitiful amount of money the two had left over from the trip there, it was just under eight dollars. That caused AJ to groan.

"We're going to die of starvation by the time we get to the next city!"

"Oh don't be a baby, Amarna." Mia stated jokingly, catching AJ's attention with her first name.

Tears began to form up in her eyes. Mia looked at her oddly, wondering what she had said, when it hit her.

"Amarna was what Mark always called me, as a joke." She said quietly, flopping down onto the only bed in their room. "It's all my fault he's dead."

Mia was about to say something, but AJ cut her off.

"Don't say: 'It's not your fault, AJ.' Nothing you or anyone can say will change my mind about his death, he was my best friend." The tears began to fall down her cheeks now, AJ unable to stop them. "But, it does help to have a great friend like yourself, Mia, to talk to."

AJ stood up and put her cloak on in a single, sweeping motion along with her sunglasses. Mia smiled and gave her newfound friend a hug, in which AJ was hesitant to return, seeing as she never liked hugs in the first place.

"Let's go, AJ, before we hit the stream of tourists." Mia stated, heading out the door with her purse in hand, and AJ following her, grumbling about still being hungry.

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By the time the two witches were finished looking around at the tower, eating what little food they could afford, and just aimlessly walking around the city, it was nearing 5 o'clock in the afternoon.

"The Tower made me feel sad." AJ said as the two still walked in a meaningless way around the streets of London.

Mia looked at her strangely again. "Meaning…?"

"I mean, a lot of people, most innocent people like you and I, were waiting up there at one point in their lives to die."

"Yeah, true, but you got one thing wrong," said Mia, looking up at her taller friend.

AJ glared at her. "What are you talking about? I have my facts perfectly straight, thank you very much."

"Ah, yes, but we're actually not that innocent according to most people back in America."

"And Canada, you can't forget about that." AJ said, shuddering in remembrance. "The bloody Reverend's voice still echo's in my mind sometimes, along with Mark's last words to me…"

She got a spaced out look to her face and Mia had to snap her fingers in front of her in order to bring her out of it.

"I would prefer it if you stayed on this planet, in this time period, in this city and out of the past." Mia stated, causing AJ to laugh.

"Uh-huh, that's right, we're much specialer than the normal people around here." AJ said with a gleam in her unique colored eyes. "So special, that people want us – more me though – dead because they're jealous and want to take our gifts – cough**curse**cough – away from us – more me."

Mia shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if you are actually from this planet."

"Me too, although, I wonder more so is I was actually suppose to have this so called 'gift' rather than someone else."

Mia chuckled at that and pulled out the brochure she had picked up at an information booth they passed a while ago. It listed nearly every restaurants, taverns, and attraction in the city of London! AJ glanced over her shorter friend's shoulder at the list, then ahead once more.

"Is that place in the thing?" AJ asked.

Mia looked up and in the direction of where AJ was pointing. There was a dirty old sign in the front of it: _The Leaky Cauldron_. She watched the people pass by it as though it were nothing, then back down to the list. After a few minutes, she shook her head 'no' in response to AJ's question. AJ grabbed onto Mia's arm, and begun to make her way towards it.

"Let's go check it out then," she said.

"But we don't have any money!" Mia protested. "And besides, no one is going into it, so it must not be a very good place to go."

"Then we just ignore the people passing by and order water, that's what I used to do. Sometimes they turned out pretty good too." AJ said, pouting slightly. "Please? There's this annoying little voice inside the back of my head that's yelling, no, screaming at me to go in there."

Mia sighed and let her fellow witch drag her into the place without a second thought.

Little did either of them know, going into the Leaky Cauldron was going to change both their lives forever…

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Narcissa Malfoy was seated at a dark table in the corner with her hood on, covering her face. Her son, Draco Malfoy, was seated next to her, glaring at anything he can. It has been only a month since the incident at the Ministry and the capture of many followers of Voldemort, not many people were too keen in staying anywhere that is not protected with much security.

The very dark and shabby pub, which was normally busy and full of witches and wizard, was now empty, save for the two Malfoy's, the bartender, Tom, and a figure hooded in black in the other side of the corner. Tom continued to clean a glass with a dirty cloth, looking around bored.

"Who exactly are we waiting for mum?" Draco asked in annoyance and bored tone.

"Do not worry about it dear." Narcissa said, not really paying attention to her son.

Her son sighed in exasperation. "Why did you not just leave me at the mansion?"

Narcissa glared over to her son. "Because I do not trust you to be by yourself, now that your father…!" Narcissa took a deep breath, looking at her son's angry expression.

But her attention was taken away from her son when the door to the pub was opened. There, two teenage girls stood in Muggle clothing, looking around the place, one anxious than the other. Seeing the girl behind the one with pink streaks in her hair made Narcissa take a deep breath, gripping the table.

Seeing his mother reaction, Draco frowned and looked over towards the entrance to see the two girls.

"You know those two mother?" Draco asked confused.

"Karya?" Narcissa said breathlessly, her all ready pale face going even paler.

On the other side of the pub, the figure cloaked in black stood up, his chair scraping the floor. The only thing visible was that of his hands, which were shaking. Draco was the only one to take notice of the figure, as his mother was too busy gaping at the young girl.

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Mia stood behind AJ, gripping the back of her cloak.

"I _told_ you we shouldn't have entered!" Mia whispered harshly, eyeing the person who scraped back their chair. "Come on, no one isn't even in here! Let's go, please!"

"What can I help you with dear?" Tom asked, smiling kindly over to AJ, failing to see Mia.

AJ, not listening to her friend's plea, returned the smile and walked over to the bar, Mia following closely behind.

"I was wondering if we could have two glasses of water? One with ice please."

Tom frowned. "Sorry dear, but we sell no water here. Just Butterbeer."

It was AJ's and Mia's turn to frown. Feeling six pair of eyes on her back, Mia tugged on AJ's cloak a bit more aggressively.

"We should go. _Now_!"

"Bless my soul!" Tom said in awe whisper.

Both Mia and AJ looked up at the man. He seemed to have paled and staring directly at Mia now that he has seen her.

"Karya?" Both girls frowned at this name. "Karya Shacklebolt!"

Mia's eyebrows knitted together, feeling very small at the moment under the man's intense gaze he was giving her.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

AJ looked over to her fellow confused witch with her own confused look. She than flicked her gaze over to a hooded figure and a boy with sleek blonde hair brushed back sitting at a corner, looking over to Mia.

"I think you're right, Mia. Let's get out of here."

AJ grabbed her friend's hand and quickly walked over to the entrance, seeing the other hooded figure standing and watching them. Realizing what was happening, the figure quickly followed the two girls who finally left the pub.

Narcissa was shaking her head, believing she must have seen a ghost or some kind of illusion. Draco put a worried hand on his mother's shoulder.

"Mum, are you all right? You look as if you seen a ghost."

"I killed her myself, that witch." Narcissa mumbled, her eyes wide with shock and fear.

"What?" Draco questioned confused.

"I killed her fifteen years ago! Now she's back to haunt me, that damn Wiccan witch!"

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"What the heck is going on? Have you ever been to London before?" AJ questioned her friend, both now sitting on at a table in front of a café.

"No! No, I have never been to London before." Mia shook her head, trying to catch her breath. "That bartender called me 'Karya Shacklebolt.'" Mia looked to the shape shifter. "Do you think that my mother was from London?"

AJ shrugged. "It could be possible." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Maybe she's a famous actress on television, movie, or a singer?"

Mia shook her head, looking around. "No, then the people around us would be going crazy and asking for my autograph."

"True, true." AJ sighed.

Than she started to sniff the air, Mia looking to her friend worriedly.

"What is it?" Mia whispered.

"I smell someone magical nearby." AJ whispered back.

Mia looked around her to see a man frowning and sniffing his clothing. The teen shook AJ's hand and nodded over to the man. AJ looked just as the man looked back at them. They stared at one another for a few minutes before the girls sprang up and ran into the crowd.

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Remus Lupin took off his cloak as soon as he was out in London streets. He followed the teens towards a café, which they sat outside, ordering water. Remus sat a few ways from them, looking down at the menu but listening to what they were saying.

"That bartender called me 'Karya Shacklebolt.' Do you think that my mother was from London?"

"It could be possible."

The werewolf looked up when a waiter came up. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, no. I'm fine for now, thank you. I just need a few minutes more."

The waiter nodded and walked away. Lupin was able to hear the girls' once more.

"What is it?"

"I smell someone magical nearby."

Lupin frowned and began to smell himself. _"I don't smell magical!... How **do** magic smell like?"_

Lupin stopped smelling himself and turned to the girl's table just as the one who made the comment of smelling magic nearby looked over to him. They stared at one another before the girls took off. Lupin swore, running after them.

"_Could it be possible of Karya's daughter returning to her original home? And what would Kingsley do or say when he sees his second cousin."_

"He's obviously after me, so AJ return to the hotel, grab our stuff and meet me in the subway in one hour." AJ wanted to protest but Mia interrupted her. "I can lose him. Don't worry about me. I'll see you in one hour."

At that the two girls ran separate ways. Lupin ran to the left, following Mia.

"_Think Mia! Think!"_

Before Mia knew it, she was grabbed from behind and brought into an abandon alley. Mia struggled until the person pushed her a bit forward. The teen turned just as Lupin pointed his wand at the girl and said '_Petrificus Totalus_.'

Mia tried to move but couldn't. She began to panic.

"_Damn! I shouldn't have considered splitting up! And how the hell did he do that?"_

Lupin walked forward. "Don't worry, I am not going to hurt you."

Mia scoffed mentally. _"Yeah right."_

"I will unfreeze you but you have to promise me you won't run. Blink once for yes, twice for no."

Mia narrowed her eyes, searching the man's mind.

"**Please, please! Believe me. I just need to find out if you truly are Karya's daughter."**

Sighing mentally, Mia blinked once. Lupin sighed in relief and mumbled something Mia did not hear. Suddenly she could move again and Mia stretched out her limbs.

"What's your name? And how did the hell did you freeze me?"

"Remus Lupin. And I am a wizard."

Mia raised an eyebrow at the name but she had heard worse. "Okay, nice to meet you, Mr. Lupin. Now care to tell me who Karya is and how are you going to know if I'm her daughter?"

Lupin frowns. "How'd you-?"

Mia smiled mysteriously. "I have my ways."

Still frowning, Lupin walked up to her. "I'm just going to lift off a spell from you, so don't get scared." Lupin pointed his wand at Mia's right wrist. "_Specialis Revelio_!"

Dark purple lines swirling around her wrist appeared. Mia frowned as Lupin smiled in triumphant and joyous, finally happy to have found Karya's long lost daughter.

"What is it?" Mia asked, examining the purple tattoo.

"It's the symbol of your mother's clan."

Mia raised an eyebrow, looking at Lupin. "Witches have clans?"

Lupin nodded. "Yes. Your mother belonged to a clan that is slowly coming to extinction."

Mia waited for Lupin to tell her what it was, but he didn't. He just continued to stare at her, smiling.

"Well, what is it?"

Lupin shook his head. "Oh, sorry. The clan is called _Hinaya_. It is named in an old language long dead. If I remember correctly, the translation of it is _Dark Assassins_."

"Dark Assassins?"

Lupin nodded. "The clan used to be trained for assassinations. Both good and evil. They still assassinate, but they are in hiding since He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named fell the first time. The reasons unknown"

Mia shook her head. "So I am the daughter of this Karya person?"

Lupin nodded, smiling but than it was replaced with fear. "I have to get you some place safe. If He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named finds you out, he will make you to go to his side."

Lupin grabbed her upper arm and they walked into the busy streets.

"And if I don't want to be on this guy's side?" Mia questioned, fearing the answer.

"You'll either be tortured or killed." Mia's eyes widen in fear. "I have to contact Dumbledore and your cousin._ Second_ cousin really. I wonder where we can put you."

"Go ahead and contact them but I'm not going anywhere without my friend!"

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AJ was walking down the stairs to the subway, looking all around for her mind reading friend.

"_Where are you Mia?"_

AJ paced back and forth near the entrance of the subway, making sure to be stay hidden.

"Maybe he caught her? No! Don't think like that!" AJ said out loud, getting a few stares.

She was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders, AJ giving a small scream. She turned to see Mia holding up her hands.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

AJ took deep breaths, a hand to her chest. She glared at those who stopped to look at her.

"What're you looking at? Move along now!"

The people scurried on their way.

"Come, we must hurry."

AJ looked behind Mia to see Lupin looking around anxiously.

"Isn't that-?"

AJ started but Mia grabbed her bag and took AJ's arm, nodding.

"Yes, I'll explain later. Come on."

The werewolf and the two teens took a cab out to the country just a few miles east from London. It was a half hour drive and Lupin told the cab driver to stop in front of an old dirt rode. And because Lupin had no Muggle money, nor did the girl's have enough to pay the fee, Lupin put a memory spell on the driver to forget them and he drove off just as they got out.

"We'll have to walk the rest of the way. I hope you two don't mind?" Lupin asked, looking down at them as they started walking.

AJ shook her head. "I'm used to walking a lot. How'd you do that anyways?"

"I'm a wizard." Lupin said simply and looked to Mia.

Mia shrugged. "I can surely use the exercise." AJ and Lupin turned to her, Mia blushing but smiling. "What? I can? I've been denying my exercises!"

"You're too skinny all ready!" AJ replied, pinching Mia's thin stomach.

"Ow!" Mia slapped her friend's hand away.

"So where exactly are we going?" AJ asked, bored all ready.

"To a friend's house. I must warn you both though, he likes how Muggle things work, so he'll be asking a lot of questions and wants to use your Muggle electronics."

"What's a Muggle?" The teens asked in unison.

"Non-magic people."

AJ looked to the setting sun. "How long will it take to get there?"

"On foot? 'Bout an hour's walk."

AJ grimaced at the thought. "Great. And I'm still hungry." Sighing, the shape shifter turned her head to look at her friend. "Will, since it'll take an hour's walk, start talking."

Mia nodded, thinking back to when they split apart.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"First off, let me introduce my Blood Hound to you, Mr. Lupin." Mia said, gesturing dramatically to her best friend on her left side (she was in the middle of the three).

AJ rolled her eyes. "_Magic_ Blood Hound," she extended her right hand in front of Mia and shook Lupin's hand. "I'm Amarna Jasmine, but call me AJ."

"I'm Remus Lupin. A good friend of Mia's parents, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Uh-huh, as if that actually means anything to me, but okay." AJ stated looking slightly confused. "Okay, now, start talking, Mia."

Around fifteen minutes later, AJ was listening slightly to Mia ramble on about something.

"You aren't listening, are you AJ?" Mia asked in an annoyed tone of voice as she looked up at her tall friend.

"Not really… no." AJ admitted. She turned to Remus. "So, you're a wizard? How do you control your magic?"

Remus looked at her oddly. "I use a wand." He replied slowly as if talking to a young child.

It was then AJ's turn to look at him oddly but also annoyed. "What's a wand?"

"A stick with magical powers." Mia replied, seeing as Remus was a bit to shock to respond.

"You have never heard of a wand before? And yet, you're a witch?" Remus asked surprise.

AJ shook her head. "I was raised in a very small, and religious, community that told nothing of its past experiences in dealing with witches, wizards and whatnot. These powers I have are not mine from birth. I got them from a book while ago." AJ explained.

"A book?" Remus asked confused.

AJ nodded and pushed her sunglasses farther up her nose, squinting in the fading light.

"AJ, take off those damn sunglasses before you walk into a tree." Mia said in a bored tone.

AJ growled slightly and took off her sunglasses, stuffing them into her backpack. Remus wondered why AJ wore them in the first place because he only saw her right, dark blue eye. But his questions were put to an end when she turned to face him, seeing her left golden colored eye.

"AJ, give Mr. Lupin the book too, he wants to see it." Mia said, earning a strange look from Lupin.

AJ wrinkled her nose in frustration and took out her book, and handed it to the werewolf. "My eyes show the two things I can do," AJ explained, "my right eye is my magic and my left his my shape shifting ability."

Remus wasn't really paying attention to her, as he began to flip through the contents of AJ's book of tricks.

"Do you have the sword that goes with it?" He inquired, still examining the pages.

He looked up to see AJ response to his question. AJ swept her left arm behind her with the cloak, and showed him the finely crafted sword strapped to her waist by her belt.

"Why would it matter though?" AJ asked, placing her cloak around her once more.

"Because that is your source of your most powerful magic. You are more of a wandless witch though." Remus said, as he reluctantly handed the shape shifter her book back. "I have heard of this book before. Though I can't remember where…"

AJ raised an eyebrow and took the book away. "You can see it later, when I get some food into my stomach, and get some sleep… wait, scratch the last part, it's too late anyways. But until later, this book is not leaving my bag."

Remus opened his mouth to ask a question, but AJ knew what he was going to ask, so she answered him beforehand.

"The reason why I said it's too late to sleep is because of my shape shifting ability. I usually get a maximum of two hours of sleep a day, half an hour before and after dawn and dusk."

Remus' brows furrowed together in confusion. "Why?"

Mia sighed, glad that they have forgotten her (for the moment at least), and that she was also short, so the two were talking _above_ her head. She just looked ahead of her, nothing but dirt road and grassy hills on either side of them.

"Because half of the animals inside me are nocturnal, and I use their senses during the night for… purposes. And I don't get tired until half an hour before and after dusk or dawn." AJ explained in a bored tone, looking at the hills in boredom.. "So, how much longer will it take to get to your friends house?" AJ complained.

Mia sighed in annoyance. "Stop complaining! Just because you're hungry doesn't mean you have to continue to remind us every ten minutes! You're starting to annoy Mr. Lupin as it is!"

AJ only sighed, crossing her arms behind her head and looking up at the red, orange, purple, and dark blue sky. There was nothing but silence, save for the crickets chirping away. Than a loud growl came from the middle. Both Remus and AJ looked at each other before looking down to a blushing Mia, who had her hands behind her back, looking before her innocently.

Then the three of them all started to laugh.

"Now who's hungry." AJ teased, placing an arm around Mia's shoulders. "Don't worry though, you'll get used to the feeling."

"At least I don't complain up until the last nerve of Mr. Lupin." Mia retorted back, pushing AJ off of her playfully, shaking her head.

Remus was looking through his pockets and smiled as he pulled out a chocolate bar. He cut it in half.

"Here, it's not much but at least it will lessen your hunger somewhat."

The two teens took the chocolate bar in thanks and began to eat it slowly, savoring the taste of food (even though it was junk food) within their hungry stomachs.

Soon, darkness quickly fallen, the sky full of sparkling diamonds. Upon a hill, a mile or so from where they where, stood a single three floor house, light pouring out from within.

"That's it?" AJ asked hopefully, wanting some decent food in her stomach.

"That's it. The Burrow, home of the Weasley's."

Mia smiled, hoping to have a good night rest on a soft bed. "Then what are we waiting for?" She said, and both teen girls start to run.

Remus stood there before running after them.

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Molly, Arthur, Ginny, Hermione, Ron, Harry, Fred, and George sat at the table, eating dinner and chatting happily with one another. Well, all were happily talking except Harry. Ever since the day at the Ministry in June, Harry could never seem to be joyous of anything around him. Sure, he smiles and laughs but they are only a facade to not let others worry about him.

Although his closest friends could tell the difference but they do not want to say anything that will make Harry mad.

"Are you not hungry, Harry?" Molly asked, noticing Harry hasn't touched his food yet.

Harry looked up and was about to say something when he caught three shadowy figures stopping just inside the yard of the Burrow.

"You weren't having company tonight, were you Mrs. Weasley? Mr. Weasley?"

Both Arthur and Molly looked out the window to see two figures standing and one sitting on the floor, holding their left, lower leg. Everyone stood up, fear and curiosity rising within them. But before anyone can do or say, the taller figure lit their wand.

"Remus?" Arthur questioned as he saw the familiar face.

Remus kneeled and looked down to the ankle of the one sitting down.

"Who are the other two with him?" Hermione questioned to no one in particular.

Everyone just shrugged, Arthur walking up to the door.

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Mia whined in pain, glaring daggers up at AJ.

"Hey, don't look at me like that!"

"It was your fault for not telling me that hole was there! I know you can see well at night!" Mia hissed when Remus touched her left ankle, glaring now at him.

Remus quickly put up his hands in defense. "Well, you certainly got the glare of your mothers."

Mia stopped glaring and smiled shyly and longing. "Really?"

"Remus?"

AJ, Mia, and Remus all looked towards the house. A tall figure stood at the doorway, the light coming out behind him, shadowing his face. Remus turned the light at the tip of his wand out and scoped Mia in his arms.

"Let's go."

Remus smiled over to Arthur as they neared him. "Hi Arthur. Sorry to just come unannounced like this."

Arthur moved out of the way for Remus to enter the house with AJ behind. The kids started to talk amongst themselves when they saw AJ's eyes, but she took no notice.

"Oh dear, what happened?" Molly asked, motioning for Remus to set down Mia on the bench.

Arthur closed the door behind AJ, who was watching Molly take out her wand and tap it to Mia's left ankle, muttering something she did not catch. Mia's eyebrows rose as she stood up, slowly pushing pressure on her left foot.

"Cool." Mia muttered, looking up to the shape shifter with wide eyes. "I could get used to this." Mia said laughingly.

"Bless my soul!"

Mia looked up to both Molly, who had her hands to her mouth, and Arthur who was wide-eyed next to his wife.

"Karya?" Molly asked in disbelief, dropping her hands slightly, and tears forming.

Mia shook her head. "No. Actually my name is Mia Justine Skye."

"But she is certainly Karya's daughter." Remus told them, nodding at their looks.

"Oh my I thought I must have gone mental for a moment." Molly said and hugged Mia. "Last time I saw you, you were only a month old."

"She has her father's eyes." Arthur put in, smiling.

"You two knew my parents?" Mia asked, as Molly let go.

Remus cleared his throat. "I have to get back to…" He trailed off, Arthur and Molly nodded in understanding. "And since I can't contact Dumbledore, I need to know if you two can. And tell them of this… situation. Especially, um…"

Mia and AJ looked at Remus suspiciously. AJ looked to Mia, silently telling the mind reader to see what they were thinking. Mind looks to Molly and Arthur, searching through their minds.

"**Karya's long lost daughter here in our home! Who would have thought? I will have to contact Dumbledore first thing in the morning, or after they all have went to sleep. I think that the girls could have Fred and George's room and Harry could move in to Ron's."**

"**What would Kingsley say? I will have to tell him as soon as I go to the Ministry tomorrow. He must know his second cousin has been found after fifteen years."**

Mia nods to AJ in reassurance that these people were safe. While Mia was reading Molly and Arthur's thoughts, and AJ waiting for her friend to find something about these people, Remus was telling both Molly and Arthur of who the other girl was and what she held rather quickly. The only one who heard some of it was Hermione, while the others continued to talk about the girls.

"Tell Dumbledore this and if I can, I will try to find out more of this book."

Arthur nodded. "Of course, you do not have to worry."

Remus nods his head once. "Thank you, I must get back now." There werewolf looked to the teens. "Arthur and Molly will take care of you, don't worry. I'll come back as soon as I can."

And with that, Remus put on his cloak and Apparated out of there.

"How'd he do that?" AJ asked in bewilderment.

"Come, come, my dears. You both must be starving." Molly said, setting both girls down on the bench.

AJ's eyes widen with hunger and dug into the food, placing everything and anything on to her plate that Molly placed in front of her. Mia just looked to her friend and shook her head, smiling and filling her plate as will.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Okay, from here and on, we're going to be putting bits of pieces of book six of Harry Potter, and it would be spoilers for those who have not read it yet. So if you don't want to know some of things that happened in the sixth book, we suggest you stop reading now. You all have been warned.**

**Chapter 8**

While AJ ate her food like there was no tomorrow, Mia slowly ate hers, feeling self-conscious from those looking at them. Arthur and Molly were seated at one end of the table, each wondering what to do with the new arrivals. Hermione, Ginny, and Ron were too busy thinking of the absurd hair color of AJ's, while the twins eyed Mia, and Harry wondering of the different color eyes of AJ's.

Finishing their dinner, Fred and George stand up, looking at their mom on their right.

"Thanks for dinner mum, but we best get back to the shop." Fred said, kissing Molly's cheek.

"Yeah, we have to wake up early tomorrow morning." George added, also kissing Molly's cheek.

"Your welcome dears. Be safe, who knows what has been lurking around Diagon Alley these past months now. We will see you both tomorrow."

Fred and George nodded, both putting on their cloaks. Turning and a loud crack, the twins were gone. The other four teens finished with their own dinner and stood up as will.

"We best get some sleep before we leave tomorrow morning." Ginny told her mom.

The other three nodded in agreement and bid their goodnights. The teens made their way up the stairs, but not before Molly stopped one of them, both Mia and AJ nosy looked up as will.

"Oh, Harry dear," Harry stopped and looked back at Molly. "Mind sharing with Ron? The twin's room is the only place with two sets of beds."

Harry smiled but it did not reach his eyes, AJ noted.

"Sure thing, Mrs. Weasley. Goodnight."

And the four disappeared upstairs.

Arthur suddenly stood. "I best contact Dumbledore right away." And he made his way over towards the living room.

"My, you both are starving!"

Molly commented, while in the background they heard Arthur's voice saying, "Dumbledore."

"When was the last time you two eaten anything?"

Mia and AJ looked at one another, than back to Molly.

"Yesterday?" They said in unison, a little unsure.

"Yes, yes. She is here right now." Arthur's voice carried into the now empty dinning area.

"Yesterday was the last time we had eaten a semi-full meal. We didn't have enough money." AJ said quickly from the horrid look Molly gave them.

"What about your parents?" Molly looked at Mia. "And your guardian's?"

Both girls looked down, not wanting to tell Molly any of the truth. But before any thing else could be said, Arthur returned with an old man with a long white beard and hair, wearing dark blue robes and hat. He had half-moon glasses, and a black (dead-looking) withered right hand.

"Girls," Mia and AJ looked from Arthur to Dumbledore, eyeing him cautiously. "I would like you both to meet Professor Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts."

Dumbledore tipped his head, smiling. "Good evening to you both."

Mia gave a faint smile while AJ watched him carefully, smelling powerful magic from him, making her sense go out of control a bit. She sniffed a tiny bit, to try and see how powerful the person was, but it made her sneeze a few times as it irritated her nose.

Mia tried reading his mind but wasn't able to enter it for some reason. She elbowed AJ carefully, the shape shifter looking at the corner of her eyes. Mia shook her head just slightly.

"My, you look so much like your mother, Miss Skye." Dumbledore smiled, looking down at her over his glasses. "But you have your father's eyes." Dumbledore shifted his gaze to AJ. "And you, Miss Jasmine, are an extraordinary young girl."

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Because you have found the book of _S.E.A.N._ and woken it's ancient powers."

AJ narrowed her eyes. "How do you know of this book and it's powers?"

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling with much knowledge. "I know a few things."

Realizing what they were doing, Molly stood up and cleared the table of the empty plates except those from AJ and Mia. Dumbledore took a seat across from them, Arthur walked into the living room, Molly than going upstairs. Mia and AJ continued to eat, not taking their eyes from the old wizard.

"What do you want?" AJ asked straight forward.

"AJ!" Mia hissed, looking to her friend.

"No, it is all right, Miss Skye." Dumbledore clasped his fingers together (although it looked odd with the blacken hand) and leaned forward. "I feel a great threat coming to Hogwarts, and a student there, a boy, might be in grave danger. With your abilities and power, I need you to befriend him. To protect him."

"Will I have to go to this school of yours?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, I am afraid so. Now, you will be leaving with the Weasley's and two other teens."

"Wait a minute." AJ held up a hand. "I didn't say I agreed to go."

Dumbledore eyed her for a while, a smile on his face. "What is it that you want in exchange?"

"That Mia comes with me. I don't want to do this thing alone."

Mia looked at AJ. "But he's only asking for you."

"Very well."

Mia looked at Dumbledore surprise, AJ smiling smugly.

"Good. So, who's this boy I have to protect?"

"Harry Potter."

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"Did you see that girl with pink streaks?" Ron asked in shock surprise.

The four teens were in Ron's attic, Harry wondering how he was to sleep that night.

"Yeah, what kind of person, besides Tonks, is mad enough to color their hair pink?" Ginny asked, shaking her head.

"I didn't see it." Harry said quietly, looking out of the window.

"You didn't see it?" They asked in disbelief.

"No." Harry looked back at them. "I only saw her eyes."

"What about them?" Hermione asked, trying to remember the girl. "Oh yeah, they were different colors. How could I have forgotten that?" She muttered to herself.

"That was really weird. One was a dark blue and the other was a yellow? Or a golden color?" Ron asked, his face scrunched in concentration as he tried to remember.

"It was a golden color." Harry said.

"So what? I was too shock that the two of them never saw someone use a wand before." Ginny said in hops of adverting the girl from Harry's mind.

"Could they be Muggles?" Ron asked.

Hermione shook her head. "If they were, why would Remus bring them here? No, something else is happening. And why would they need Dumbledore?"

"Whose Karya?" Harry asked suddenly. "Mrs. Weasley called the girl with red streaks 'Karya'."

Before anyone could give their opinion, Ron's attic door opened.

"What are you lot still doing up?" Mrs. Weasley asked, hands on hips. "All of you to bed! Come on!"

Molly ushered the girls out and turned but not before conjuring up a mix shift bed for Harry.

"Good night you two."

"Night Mum."

"Night Mrs. Weasley."

As the door closed behind Molly, Ron looked over to Harry, both boys changing into their pajamas.

"You fancy her, don't you?"

Harry frowned over to Ron. "Who are you talking about?"

Ron smirked. "That girl with pink streaks in her hair."

Harry could feel his cheeks burning. "No I don't!'

Ron's smirk widen into a grin. "I'm not saying she's bad looking. Neither was that other girl."

Harry rolled his eyes and changed into his pajamas. "Night Ron."

"Night."

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--Malfoy Mansion—

Narcissa paced up and down her husband's study, mumbling out loud.

"After fifteen years she's back to haunt me. But why now?"

Draco opened the door a crack, wondering what was wrong with his mother as she started acting strange since they came back from the Leaky Cauldron.

"I never would have thought that Wiccan witch's curse would come true! She was weak before I killed her."

Narcissa abruptly stopped in front of a table and slammed her fist upon it, some of the objects falling over.

"_**Heed my words Narcissa, no matter how many years pass, I will be in the shadows and in the faces of strangers. You will no longer sleep, as fear will consume your whole begin, until you run mad or die by the hands of my kin. And by the Gods and Goddess, you will no longer be free of this thing. This I promise you."**_

"She will not stop until I go mad or die by the hands of her own flesh and blood." Narcissa whispered. She closed her eyes tightly, a tear falling down her pale cheek. "And I am all ready going mad."

Draco closed the door quietly, walking down towards his room.

"_What could possibly be frightening of those two girls? What do they have to do with my mother?"_

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

After about another hour of hearing Dumbledore talk about something, AJ was finally full for the first time since she had left her town.

"Are you girls ready to go to sleep yet?" Molly asked, clearing off the two teens plates.

Arthur had escorted the old wizard out of the room to somewhere, but neither teenager was paying attention.

"Sure." AJ replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Mia rolled her eyes at the shape shifter. "Yes, Mrs. Weasley that would be lovely."

"Oh please girls, call me Molly." She stated. "Come this way, you two can stay in Fred and George's room."

Both AJ and Mia picked up their bags and followed Molly up the stairs until they came to a room with two beds.

"Here you are girls, just make yourselves at home. See you in the morning, good night." Molly said before closing the door behind the two.

"Good night." Mia muttered tiredly.

AJ threw her things onto the bed to the left and stretched her stiff limbs. "I never thought my powers would be of use to anyone and here I am, going to a school for witches and wizards to protect someone! I feel special now."

Mia nodded and changed into her pajamas. She than took out her contacts, reminding herself to put them back on before she left the room. Mia flopped down onto her bed, closing her eyes as she mumbled to her friend.

"Are you going to go out flying, or are you going to be normal for once and go to sleep?"

AJ laughed as she set her sword and cloak onto her bed. "What do you think?" she asked, walking over to the window in her bare feet. "I just ate more than I probably have in two weeks; I need to work it off now. Just leave the window open and I'll be back before sunrise."

And with that, AJ shifted into a black and pink bat and flew out of the open window, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

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AJ had gotten back into the room she and Mia was sharing at around five thirty in the morning, feeling extremely tired and wet. She had fallen out of a tree by accident and into a small river, soaking her completely.

'_Mia is going to have a fit if she sees my stuff like this.'_ AJ thought to herself as she changed into a dry outfit, consisting of a pair of loose blue jeans that looked a bit to large for her, and a tight green T-shirt.

The shape shifter managed to fall asleep for nearly an hour, but a terrible dream had taken over her mind by then; of Mark burning at the stake because he had helped her escape.

AJ woke with a start and looked wildly around the room, thinking that she was back in her old town. She whimpered slightly and tried to crawl out of bed, but ended up on the floor with a loud thud. She finally remembered where she was and tried to calm her breath and control the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

Mia, who had awakened at the thud, propped herself up on her elbows and smirked down at her best friend, thinking that she had only fallen out of bed, but she stopped when she saw the tears on AJ's face.

"AJ, you okay?" Mia asked tiredly, swinging her legs over the side of her bed and looking at her friend with her light blue eyes.

The shape shifter looked up at Mia and quickly wiped the tears from her face and eyes. "Just a bad dream." She replied, "that, and the fact that I forgot where I was for a few seconds." She got up and began to place her sheets back in their original positions.

Mia shook her head and rolled her eyes; she was about to say something when she saw a large scar running along AJ's back, which was quite visible because her shirt had fallen up during her fall.

"What happened to you?"

AJ spun around and pulled her T-shirt farther down her slim frame. "Nothing, nothing at all." She said quickly.

Mia sighed as she lay back down on her bed. She actually knew very little about AJ's past, even though they had been best friends for a while.

"Are you going to go back to sleep or be weird and read for the rest of the morning?" Mia asked, dropping the subject and snuggling further into her covers.

AJ looked out at the risen sun and smiled slightly. "I'm wide awake here Mia, I believe my book is crying to be read. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Mia nodded slightly and closed her eyes, falling back asleep almost immediately as AJ walked silently downstairs in her bare feet until she reached the living room.

AJ made herself comfortable on the couch and began to once again read her book. Her silence lasted for about an hour and a half, when one of the boys from last night walked down the stairs, dressed but still half asleep.

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Harry had troubled sleeping last night as he kept wondering about the strange girl's eyes and for the fact that he continued to see Sirius' death over and over again. He had hopped that he would have a few minutes to himself before the others woke up to get a bit of fresh air, when a female voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hello."

Harry spun around, extending his wand at the source of the voice. He saw the girl with the odd colored eyes and hair sitting on the couch with a book on her lap; she had put her hands up in the air in defense. Harry let out a sigh of relief as he put his wand away once more.

"Let me try that again, hello." The girl said slowly, as if he were going to whip out his wand again.

Harry laughed slightly and shook her outstretched hand.

"I'm Amarna Jasmine, but call me AJ."

"Harry Potter," he replied, looking at her and waiting for the 'you're the boy who lived!' speech he was accustomed to.

"What?" AJ asked after a few minutes of silence, pure confusion written on her face.

She remembered his name from last night when Dumbledore was talking to her and Mia, but she had no idea what he was waiting for.

"Is there something I should say to you or what? I'm so confused!"

"No, I was just expecting you to say something else, that's all." Harry explained.

He couldn't help but stare at AJ's uniquely colored eyes.

AJ rolled her eyes and looked annoyed as she leaned back against the arm of the couch. "What is it; the hair, the eyes, my height or all of the above?"

Harry could feel himself go red with embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered, averting his gaze from her and beginning to walk into the kitchen.

AJ stood up quickly. "Hey, I just asked you a question. I never said to go away or anything like that. It's the eyes, isn't it?"

Harry never got a chance to reply, as Molly entered the room.

"What are you two doing up so early?" She demanded.

"This hour early? Ha!" AJ replied, taking her book and heading into the kitchen. "This is late to me."

"How much sleep did you get last night?" Molly asked, getting a few things out for breakfast.

"Almost an hour, fairly long actually." AJ replied. She earned shocked looks from both Harry and Molly. "I don't sleep." AJ explained.

They left it at that because everyone else began to come downstairs, most still half asleep.

AJ went back to her spot on the couch and pretended to read as the four teens began to whisper among themselves, thinking that she couldn't hear them.

"Do you know what her name is Harry?" Ginny asked.

But before he could reply, AJ spoke up.

"Amarna Jasmine." She said, putting her book away and standing up. She walked over to the four teens in a few long strides. "AJ for short,"

"How the heck did you hear us from over there?" Ron asked, slightly shocked by her height (she was only a few inches shorter than he was) and still wondered about her absurd hair color.

AJ raised an eyebrow. "I could probably hear a pin drop from… a really long ways away. Never tried it of course, but still."

That caused even more odd looks from the others. Just then, Mia came walking downstairs with a cross look on her face.

"Where did you go last night?" She demanded, looking up at AJ as she reached the group.

"Good morning to you too." AJ replied. She put her hands up in defense. "I did nothing."

"Oh really? Then explain the pile of wet clothes I found under your bed and the fact that your hair is damp and going really curly."

AJ winced. "I thought you wouldn't find them." She muttered.

"You are lucky that I was still half asleep when you came downstairs!" Mia said, narrowing her now aqua colored eyes. "Now, where did you go?"

"Oh, this is my best friend, Mia." AJ replied, putting her elbow on Mia's shoulder, leaning on her, hoping that they could drop the subject for now. "I would introduce you to these people, Mia, but I don't know who they are."

Mia rolled her eyes and pushed AJ's arm off her. "That still doesn't answer my question."

AJ glanced over to the kitchen to see everything ready and set out. "Oh look, breakfast is ready."

She was quick to walk over to the table and sit down. Mia sighed in frustration and sat next to AJ.

"Did you four introduce yourselves to our guests yet?" Molly asked as everyone else sat down at the table too.

"I'm Ron Weasley and this is my sister Ginny."

The said girl nodded slightly and smiled to the two girls.

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"Harry Potter."

Mia glanced sideways at AJ, who nodded slightly in response.

"Mia Justine Skye. But Mia is fine." Mia smiled, putting some eggs in her mouth.

The shape shifter went back to eating a piece of toast when she noticed three out of the four teens were staring at her but trying not to make it obvious, which obviously failed. She sighed and set her food back onto her plate.

"What is it? The hair, the eyes or the height?" She asked tiredly.

Mia looked at her as if she were crazy, but then looked into their minds, knowing that the three teens would probably not answer.

"All three." She answered.

Everyone in the room was now looking at the two with odd expressions.

"The pink streaks in my hair, Mia's fault."

"Hey, you didn't protest against it back in the O'Hare's bathroom." Mia muttered.

AJ rolled her eyes, but decided to ignore it. "My eyes, the stupid book's fault. My height, my parent's fault. Make sense?" asked AJ.

Hermione looked like she wanted to ask something but kept quiet for once.

"I have two questions for you girls." Molly said. "One, where are you two from, and two, what brings you two girls to Europe?"

AJ stopped eating and dropped her fork as she looked at Mia out of the corner of her eyes. "I'm from Canada, and Mia's from the US."

"And as for why we're here, that's a touchy subject, Mrs. Weasley. It's also a long story. We'll tell you later." Mia added, looking down at her plate.

The rest of the meal went quite peacefully, and about ten minutes later Molly had bewitched the dishes to wash themselves. And before anyone can go their separate ways, a young woman of breathtaking beauty entered the kitchen. She was tall and willowy with long blonde hair and blue eyes that seemed to be an endless twinkle. The woman somehow appeared to emanate a faint, silvery glow.

AJ raised an eyebrow, looking over to Mia who had the urge to throw up. The shape shifter elbowed Mia in the ribs, frowning at her. Mia leaned in forward, whispering so no one can hear.

"She's full of herself and I don't EVER want to go through her mind again!"

"Oh, eet seems we 'ave two new guests." The woman said with a thick French accent. "My name is Fleur Delacour, nice to meet you both."

Both Mia and AJ nodded at the woman, Mia holding up her right index finger. "Mia," she than pointed to AJ. "AJ." Mia said simply.

"Why don't you kids show Mia and AJ around?" Molly suggested, seeing the uncomfortable-ness of the two girls.

"Okay, let's go outside." Ron suggested.

Both Mia and AJ were happily to comply. As they passed Fleur they each said their good bye's quickly. Once outside, Ron turned to the two girls.

"Does one of you know how to play Quidditch?"

Both teens frown in confusion, asking the same time. "What's Quidditch?"

The group of four stared at the teens in disbelief. Ron was quick to speak up.

"You two have never heard of Quidditch before?"

Mia flickered her eyes to Harry quickly, than back to Ron. "We are Muggle-born and don't know much of the Wizarding World." Mia explained, earning a weird look from AJ. "Our parents kinda disapprove of such things in our homes." Mia said quietly.

Harry nodded. "I know what you mean." He muttered, but AJ caught it.

"We'll teach you than?" Ron said, nudging Harry, giving him a grin.

Both Mia and AJ looked at one another. They shrugged their shoulders and looked at the two boys, saying at the same time, "Okay, start teaching."

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Ginny and Ron gave Mia and AJ Fred and George's brooms to practice on. Harry was giving them lesson on how to ride a broom properly. AJ got the hang of it fairly quickly, but Mia took a bit longer. Once the mind reader got the hang of things, both Ron and Harry started to explain what Quidditch is, the rules, and the different equipment, and positions. And since they really didn't have any of the balls they need for Quidditch, the teens were using an old tennis ball.

Once the two boys knew that the girls had everything down, the game started. It was Harry, Hermione, and AJ against Ron, Ginny, and Mia. Both Hermione and Mia were awful at the game, but Mia was somewhat good at. Both Ron and Harry were a bit surprise at how good AJ was at the game. Both boys concluded that AJ would be a great Chaser for whatever House they were to be in.

After playing for half the afternoon, Molly finally called the kids in.

"Give us ten more minutes, mum. Please!" Ron asked pleading.

"Yeah, Mrs. Weasley. We just need one more point to beat Harry's team!" Mia asked.

Molly sighed, shaking her head. "Just ten minutes because you all have to get ready for Harry's celebration. If no one scores, it's a tie. Ten minutes!" And Molly went back inside.

The group of three huddled together, planning on how to score.

"Okay, Mia you're too fly next to Hermione and I'll throw you the tennis ball, throw it quickly to Ginny, who will be next to Harry. _Try_ and not to throw it _near_ AJ! She's too damn good of a Chaser." Ron said, sighing.

"Hermione, cover Mia, I'll cover Ginny, and AJ," Harry smiled at her. "Just be wherever the tennis ball is at."

AJ smirked and saluted. "Right."

The group broke up and started to fly around in their positions. Hermione bewitched the tennis ball to fly right up the middle of the two teams. Ron grabbed the ball quickly and threw it towards Hermione (who was about to duck out of the way). Mia flew right in front of Hermione, catching the tennis ball and threw it towards Harry, which took him by surprise. But Ginny wasn't able to catch the tennis ball as AJ flew as fast as she could and just barely caught the ball.

Coming to a halt, AJ threw as hard as she could towards the small ring hoop that was floating up in the air on the other side of the yard, scoring. Harry's group yelled in triumphant, while Ron's group groaned in disappointment. The teens flew down the ground, everyone getting off their brooms.

"We weren't that bad." Ron said, trying to smile. "You did pretty well for your first time, actually, Mia."

Mia smiled. "Thanks. But I doubt I'll ever wan to be up in a broom again."

Ron and Ginny chuckled, as they walked towards the shed to put away the brooms, Harry and his group walking behind.

"You should tryout for Chaser once we find out what House you're in. You're actually pretty good, AJ." Harry told her, smiling over to the shape shifter.

AJ smiled, pushing way a few strands of hair. "Thanks. It feels great to fly up in the air like that. I feel almost…" AJ tried to figure out the word.

"Free?" Harry finished.

AJ thought it over and smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah. I felt free."

"You lot best get in here and clean up before the guest start to arrive!" Molly's voice echoed to them.

"We're coming!" The teens yelled, quickly making their way back towards the house.

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By five o'clock that night, Remus Lupin, Bill Weasley, and Arthur Weasley were at the house, everyone eating the food Molly have made with the help of Ginny, Hermione, Fleur, AJ, and Mia. But to Molly's displeasure, the party wasn't as plan as she would have liked as the men talked about nothing but the disappearances, odd accidents, and even deaths that has been happening.

"There have been another couple of dementor attacks." Remus told them gravely, looking as tired as he did when he brought Mia and AJ to the Burrow.

Molly passed him a large slice of birthday cake, almost glaring at the man, but he did not notice as he continued to tell Bill and Arthur of the problems.

"And they've found Igor Karkaroff's body in a shack up north. The Dark Mark had been set over it – well, frankly, I'm surprised he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters; Sirius' brother, Regulus, only managed a few days as far as I can remember."

"Yes, well," Molly said, frowning, "perhaps we should talk about something diff -"

"Did you hear about -?"

Bill started, but Mia interrupted. "I THINK," she almost yelled, everyone turning to her. Blushing, Mia cleared her throat, lowering her voice. "That we should talk about something else rather than what's been happening out there. I mean, it _is_ Harry's birthday."

"Mia's right." Arthur said. "This should be a time to be celebrating, not grieving and fearing what has been happening."

So Bill and Remus have started to talk with Harry of his summer so far and what he was up too.

"Thank you, Mia, for changing the subject." Molly whispered to the young girl.

Mia shrugged, smiling. "Nobody should be down or worried over something in their moment of day."

Molly smiled but quickly frowned as a pecking sound was heard from the window behind her. Everyone quieted down and looked over to the window to see two brown owls, both holding a long box by a string. Molly stood and opened the window, the owl's flying inside and down in front of Mia and AJ. Both girls raised an eyebrow at them. Soon Fawkes' came flying in, this time going in front of Harry, holding a rolled up parch and the Sorting Hat.

Harry took the parchment from the Phoenix's leg and unrolled it to read it.

"What's it say, Harry?" Ron asked everyone curious.

"It's from Dumbledore. He wishes me a happy birthday and to help teach Mia and AJ of the years that they had missed up to year five. And," Harry looked up to Fawkes', taking the worn out hat from his beak. "That you two should be sorted right now rather at the feast."

AJ raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "A _hat_ is supposed to tell us what _House_ we're supposed to be in?"

Everyone nodded, a few saying "yeah."

AJ looked at Mia, who looked back at her, Mia's furrowing her brow.

"**You go first."** Mia read.

Scowling at her friend, Mia looked at the hat in Harry's hand and took hold of it. She carefully unfolded it and looked at it. Taking a deep breath, Mia put the hat on her head, which immediately fell over her eyes.

"_Ahh, a new student."_ Mia jumped at the voice inside her head. The voice laughed. _"A transfer student, I see. A wandless witch, very interesting. Karya's daughter? Ooh, this should be interesting. She was in Ravenclaw… You certainly have the intelligence and strive for more knowledge as a Ravenclaw, but that is not the House for you… You are very loyal to your friends and patient like a Hufflepuff. But again, not the House for you… I know it should… GRYFFINDOR!"_ The hat yelled.

Mia took off the hat quickly, rubbing her ears. "You didn't have to shout." She muttered, handing the hat to AJ.

Everyone congratulated Mia.

"We're in Gryffindor, so we'll show you around if you like." Hermione said, smiling.

"Thanks." Mia said, and looked to her friend who has yet to put on the hat. "Come on all ready!"

AJ made a face at Mia and cautiously put the hat over her head. It fell over her eyes. At first, nothing happened, but AJ jumped as a voice started talking to her.

"_Another transfer student and a wandless witch! But you are very different, your power is different…Could it be that you are the decedent of the seven women? How long has it been since I have had one of your kin to sort into a House in?"_

AJ frowned, though no one can see it. _"What seven women? What kin? I'm confused!"_

"_Now, let us see. I had three for the past year, all in a different House but one; Gryffindor. Let us see now, you are loyal, like a Hufflepuff but do not have the patients, too bad... You are sly, like a Slytherin… but you are mostly brave and daring like a Gryffindor. And you do not have the thrive for knowledge like the last woman I have sorted, and too bad. She made a great witch. But, we better make it…"_

"_Don't you dare shout!"_

"_GRYFFINDOR!" _The hat shouted, not taking heed of AJ's warning.

"Dang it!" AJ yelled, taking the hat off of her and rubbing her hears.

Mia laughed, knowing that AJ's ears were sensitive. AJ gave Mia a look, but sighed.

"At least we're in the same House." AJ said, Mia nodding.

Fawkes grabbed the Sorting Hat and hooted to the girls before flapping his wings and flying out of the house. The two brown owl's hooted impatiently, not wanting to be burden with the long boxes much longer. Harry suddenly remembered what else was in the letter and looked to the two girls.

"Oh, and those two owl's have your wands, from Ollivander's."

"Ollivander's?" Molly questioned. "But it is said that he's gone!" Molly looked to Arthur, who nodded with confusion. "The shop's empty. No sign of a struggle. No one knows whether he left voluntarily or was kidnapped."

"Bu wands – What'll people do for wands?" Ginny asked her mother.

"They'll make do with other makers." Lupin told her. "But Ollivander was the best, and if the other side have got him it's not so good for us."

Bill looked to the two girls. "It looks like you two have gotten the last wands from Ollivander." He than frowned. "But how would he know what wand to give you two?"

Both Mia and AJ looked at each other before turning to the owls in front of them and taking the box from their mouth. Hooting happily, the two owls follow suit of Fawkes and flew out of the house. AJ opened hers first, a note on top of her wand.

_Miss Amarna Jasmine,_

_This wand was made by Ollivander a long, long time ago. It was said that the last decedent to be sorted within the last House at Hogwarts was to retrieve this wand. Take good care of it, Miss Amarna, for it will help you with the destiny that has all ready been set out for you before your time. The wand is from Ash, has a Red Mermaid Scale, and is eleven inches. Take VERY good care of it, Miss Amarna._

_Dumbledore,_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Putting the note aside, AJ's eyes lit up, a slow smile making it's way on her face. The wand was the combination of black andred. AJ picked the wand up and the tip immediately begun to show different colors as a gust of wind came out of nowhere and moved around AJ.

Looking down at her own box, Mia lifted the lid and saw a note as will on top of her wand. Picking up the note, Mia read it to herself.

_Miss Mia Justine Skye,_

_This wand was made by Ollivander recently. He said that he had a dream that someone that has been said to be dead and lost for good will return to their original home. He has told me to give this to that one person, who is to be you. This wand is from the tree Cherry, it has a Werewolf Claw, and is eleven inches. Take good care of it, Miss Skye, take VERY good care of it._

_Dumbledore,_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Setting aside the note, Mia looked down to see a white wand, the bigger end having just the bit of shade of blue mix with it. The design of the blue was the same like that tattoo she has that concluded of the _Dark Assassins_. Picking up the wand, it made the same colors at the tip like AJ's, the same gust of wind moving around Mia.

Once it died down, everyone looked surprise.

"I guess Ollivander was somehow expecting this." Arthur said, confused like the rest of them.

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The next day the letters and booklist for Hogwarts arrived. But within Harry's letter, it included a surprise for him. He has been made Quidditch Captain. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny were around Harry, looking at the badge in his hands, while Mia and AJ looked over their lists. It was longer than Ginny's (as she is in the same year as them) because they have not entered the school at age eleven.

"That gives you equal status with prefects!" Hermione cried happily. "You can use our special bathroom now and everything!"

"Wow, I remember when Charlie wore one of these." Ron said, examining the badge with glee. "Harry, this is so cool, you're my Captain – if you let me back on the team, I suppose, ha ha…"

"Well, I don't suppose we can put off a trip to Diagon Alley much longer now you've got these." Molly sighed, looking down Ron's booklist. "We'll go on Saturday as long as your father doesn't have to go into work again. I'm not going there without him."

"Mum, d'you honestly think You –Know-Who's going to be hiding behind a bookshelf in Flourish and Blotts?" sniggered Ron.

"Fortescue and Ollivander went on holiday, did they?" Molly said, firing up at once. "If you think security's a laughing matter you can stay behind and I'll get your things myself -"

"No, I wanna come, I want to see Fred and George's shop!" Ron said hastily.

"Then you just buck up your ideas, young man, before I decide you're too immature to come with us!" Molly said angrily, snatching up her clock, all nine hands of which were pointing at 'mortal peril,' and balancing it on top of a pile of just-laundered towels. "And that goes for returning to Hogwarts as well!"

Ron turned to stare incredulously at Harry as his mother hoisted the laundry basket and the teetering clock into her arms and stormed out of the room. Mia and AJ just stared after woman, happy that they have not gotten on her bad side… yet.

"Blimey… you can't even make a joke round here anymore…"

"There are times when to make jokes and when not to." Mia told him, standing up. "And it also depends on the joke." And with that she walked up the stairs.

"What's up with her?" Ron asked AJ, who shrugged, going after her friend.

She just reached the door before it closed. AJ leaned against the door frame.

"What's up with you?"

Mia shook her head, sitting on her bed with a book in hand. "I just want to know when this Kingsley person, who's suppose to be my second cousin, going to come and visit me? I want to learn of my parents."

"Why don't you send him a letter?" AJ suggested.

"I gave ten letters to Arthur who works in the same building as him."

AJ nodded slowly, pursing her lips.

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That whole week was spent with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny teaching AJ and Mia for the past couple of years they have missed. The two girls have gotten most of the things quickly. The only problem was to make potions as they didn't have all of the ingredients they needed. AJ had been secretly practicing her swordplay at night and after dawn; she nearly got caught doing it by Harry once, though.

Saturday came without any more outbursts from Molly, though she seemed very tense at breakfast. Bill, who would be staying at home with Fleur (much to Hermione and Ginny's pleasure), passed a full money bag across the table to Harry, one to AJ, and one to Mia.

"Where's mine?" Ron demanded at once, his eyes wide.

"That's already Harry's, Mia's, and AJ's, idiot." Bill said, making both Mia and AJ smile. "I got it out of your guy's vault for you three, because it's taking about five hours for the public to get to their gold at the moment, the goblins have tightened security so much. Two days ago Arkie Philportt had a Probity Probe stuck up his… Well, trust me, this way's easier."

"Thanks Bill." Harry said, pocketing his gold.

"Yeah thanks." AJ said, looking through it with wide eyes.

"You are kind to do this for us, Mr. Weasley."

"'E is always so thoughtful." Fleur purred adoringly, stroking Bill's nose.

Ginny mimed vomiting into her cereal behind Fleur, Harry choked over his cornflakes, and both Ron and AJ thumped him on the back.

Bill waved a hand at Mia. "Please call me Bill. You make sound old when you call me _Mr. Weasley_." Bill smiled.

Mia smiled back. "I'm sorry, _Mr. Weasley_, but I like to respect my elders, no matter what they say."

AJ rolled her eyes. "You can break rules, you know. Besides, Bill's only couple of years older than us."

"So what? He's still older." Mia argued.

"Now there's a proper girl. You lot should learn from Mia." Molly said, nodding her approval.

One of the special Ministry of Magic cars was awaiting them in the front yard when they emerged from the house, pulling on their cloaks, and in Mia and AJ's case, sweaters. The shape sifter was a little bit hesitant about leaving her sword behind though, but she had to make due with her wand instead.

"Are you sure we are all able to ride in that?" AJ asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, they are able to be bewitched to be larger incase more people come riding." Ron said, as he got inside.

Harry followed, than Hermione, than AJ, while Ginny went in the front, followed by Molly, than Mia. The car drove for an hour, Harry, Ron, and Hermione talking to AJ about Hogwarts and the three different coins that are used for money, while Mia looked out the window at the scenery. The car slowed in to Charing Cross Road, stopping just outside the _Leaky Cauldron_.

"Here you are, then. I'm to wait for you, any idea how long you'll be?" The driver asked, looking at Arthur.

"A couple of hour, I expect." Arthur said.

Mia got out of the car and stopped as she saw a very large man in front of her. He stared at her.

"Oh my! You must be Karya's daughter!" He said.

"Ah, god, he's here!" Arthur said, as he, Molly, and Ginny stepped out.

"Harry!" The man boomed, sweeping Harry into a bone-crushing hug the moment Harry had stepped out of the car, Mia sighing in relief. "Buckbeak – Witherwings, I mean – yeh should see him, Harry, he's so happy ter be back in the open air -"

"That is Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper." Molly told Mia. "He admired your mother, because she loved Magical Creatures and always talked to him about it whenever they can."

"Glad he's pleased." Harry said, grinning as he massaged his ribs. "We didn't know 'security' meant you!"

"I know, jus' like old times, innit? See, the Ministry wanted ter send a bunch o' Aurors, but Dumbledore said I'd do." Hagrid told them proudly, throwing out his chest and tucking his thumbs into his pockets. "Lets' get goin' then –after ye, Molly, Arthur -"

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The group walked inside the _Leaky Cauldron_. Just like the day both AJ and Mia entered the place, it was as empty as ever. Except for Tome the landlord, who looked up hopefully as they entered, but before he could even speak, Hagrid did first.

"Jus' passin' through today, Tom, sure yeh understand, Hogwarts business, yeh know."

Tom nodded gloomily and returned to wiping glasses. Harry, AJ, Hermione, Mia, Hagrid, and the Weasley's walked through the bar and out into the chilly little courtyard at the back where the dustbins stood. Hagrid raised his pink umbrella and rapped a certain brick in the wall, which opened at once to form an archway onto a winding cobbled street. They stepped through the entrance and paused, looking around.

Besides AJ and Mia, the group could see that Diagon Alley has changed. The colorful, glittering window displays of spelbooks, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind the large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of the posters were moving black and white photographs of Death Eaters known to be on the loose.

Both AJ and Mia looked wide-eyed at all the shops surrounding them. AJ more so, though, because she smelled magic from every shop and the few people that were there! She was amazed that there were actually a lot of magical in the world, and this was only in one town in England!

Mia looked up at AJ and closed her friend's mouth for her. "Don't want to catch flies, now do you?"

The shape shifter turned red and muttered something inaudible before the group started to walk forward. Many booths were set up, selling jewelry and other objects that said to protect you from hexes, curses, etc. Passing one in particular that was selling Amulets, a seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains.

"One for your little girl, madam?" He called at Mrs. Weasley, leering at Ginny. "Protect her pretty neck?"

"If I were on duty…" Mr. Weasley said, glaring angrily at the amulet seller.

Mia and AJ drowned out everyone around them, as they glared at the sellers, knowing full well that their items, may they be full of magic, were fake and would _not_ protect anyone from anything.

"Why don't those five go with Hagrid, and we can go to _Flourish and Blotts_ and get everyone's schoolbooks?"

"I don't know," Mrs. Weasley started anxiously, clearly torn between a desire to finish the shopping quickly and the wish to stick together in a pack. "Hagrid, do you think -?"

"Don' fret, they'll be fine with me, Molly." Hagrid said soothingly, waving an airy hand the size of a dustbin lid.

Molly did not look entirely convinced, but allowed the separation. She looked over to the two teenage girls.

"You two stick with Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid. They'll take you to _Madam Malkin's _to get your robes. Than they'll take you to get the rest of your things. Do not worry about your books; we'll get them for you since you two are in the same year as Ginny."

AJ nodded her head in agreement, as Mia tried to reassure Molly. "Mrs. Weasley, we'll be fine. Don't worry so much."

Sighing in defeat, Molly took Ginny's hand, and she, Ginny, and Arthur went off towards _Flourish and Blotts_, as the older teens and the half giant walked away towards _Madam Malkin's_. AJ looked back slightly and saw Ginny glaring at her and Mia, but mostly her. She cocked her head to one side, wondering what Ginny had against her, but her thoughts were interrupted when Hagrid spoke, not realizing that they have already arrived at the store.

"Might' be a bit too crowded with the likes of me in there" Hagrid told them, bending down to peer through the window. "I'll wait out 'ere and stand guard, all right?" He stated, looking back at the teens.

Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded and walked inside. AJ was about to go in when she saw Mia's hesitance to enter. The shape shifter knew it had something to do with information about her parents and Hagrid as she over heard Molly tell her friend that Hagrid knew her mother well.

"Ask later, after we're done." AJ whispered, dragging her best friend into the shop.

She wanted to get the shopping over with as quickly as possible. But as the two walked into the shop, they almost immediately heard people arguing.

"Put your wands away!" Madam Malkin demanded.

AJ looked over to see both Harry and Ron with their wands out and ready to use at two blonde figures in front of them. AJ narrowed her eyes, trying to remember where exactly she saw them before.

"What's going on here?" Mia asked, getting all eyes on her.

The blonde woman's eyes went wide. "Karya." She whispered, slowly taking a step forward towards the small teen with her hand outstretched.

Mia swallowed nervously, taking a small, barely seen, step. AJ reached down to her side for her sword and mentally cursed herself for leaving it back at the Burrow. When the woman got to close for her liking, AJ slapped her hand away and stood in front of Mia with her long arms crossed, glaring at her.

"Whatever you were about to do, do it to someone who's _unguarded_." She snapped, the woman lowering her arm.

The boy behind her, most likely her son, curled his lip and glared at the shape shifter. AJ did the same, meeting his gaze and not flinching at all. She did, however, smell a rather terribly odor coming from the two on top of their magical abilities. It nearly made her gag, though she couldn't quite place what it smelt like.

The three older friends, the woman's son, and Madam Malkin all looked quizzically at the woman and Mia. Suddenly wanting to get his mother away from the girl, the boy pulled the robes over his head and threw them onto the floor at Madam Malkin's feet.

"I don't think I want these anymore, mother."

The woman blinked several times, her pale face slightly getting some color to it.

"You're right, Draco." Narcissa cleared her throat. "We'll do better at Twilfitt and Tatting's."

And with that, the pair of them walked past, Mia moving away from the woman, AJ turning along with her. The two of them walked out of the shop, Draco glaring at AJ once more, who glared back, before leaving.

"Now, that was a bit…" Madam Malkin's trailed off, not really knowing how to describe exactly what just happened. "All right, which one of you is ready?" She asked, not really affected, as she should be, by what happened with the wands earlier.

Harry and Ron put their wands away, as the two boys and Hermione looked at AJ and Mia.

"You two go first. It will take longer to get your robes." Hermione told them.

"Let me go first." Mia whispered, still hiding behind AJ.

AJ nodded, and Mia walked up to the stand on the stool. The trio of friends walked over to AJ and silently started demanding what just happened and how they knew the Malfoy's.

"I don't know!" AJ said through her teeth, her fist clenched at her side. "Mia doesn't know anything from her past."

The trio frowned. "What?" They asked, clearly confused.

"I'm not supposed to say anything, so drop it." AJ told them just as soon as Mia stepped off the stool and stood in front of the mirror to look at the robes.

"Fits all right dear?" Madam Malkin's asked.

Mia nodded and carefully took off the robes. She handed them to Madam Malkin's, who folded it and placed it on the counter. She looked at AJ, who went over to the stool. None of the three friends questioned Mia, but talked with her of Hogwarts instead. Once AJ got her new robes, both Ron and Harry's robes fitted, and Hermione with her new witch's dress robes, the five of them stepped out of the shop.

"Got ev'rything?" Hagrid asked brightly when they reappeared at his side.

"Just about." Harry told them. "Did you see the Malfoy's?"

"Yeah," Hagrid said unconcerned. "Bu' they wouldn' dare make trouble in the middle o' Diagon Alley, Harry. Don' worry abou' them."

The five teens exchanged looks, AJ snorting in disbelief as she muttered under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yeah right."

"Well, we have to get Mia's and AJ's pet." Hermione told the half giant.

Hagrid nodded, "All right, Eeylops Owl Emporium, it is then."

But before anyone can move, Molly, Arthur, and Ginny appeared, all clutching heavy packages of books.

"Everyone all right?" Molly asked, looking around. "Got your robes? Right then, we can pop in at the Apothecary and Eeylops on the way to Fred and George's – stick close, now…"

Mia walked up to Molly, who handed her package of books, than one to AJ as Mia glared at her to take one. The two teens bought ingredients that they needed for potions in the Apothecary, Hermione telling them what they needed. On the way towards the Eeylops, AJ was trying to decide what pet to get. A cat or an owl. Seeing as her best friend was silent, Mia glanced at AJ, tilting her head to the side.

Narrowing her eyes, Mia stood in front of AJ, looking up at her with an annoyed look on her face. "Why don't you want to get an owl?" She demanded, carefully walking backwards. "They're a far better pet than a cat!"

"I am getting an owl, kinda." AJ replied, slightly moving Mia to the right, Mia's left. "Besides, I've always wanted a cat. Hermione's cat is soo cute! She's going to show them to me when we get inside the store."

"I know, and Harry and Ron are going to show me the owls. But what the hell do you mean about you're getting an owl also? You're already getting a cat."

AJ just smiled evilly. "I have my ways." She stated simply, side stepping her friend. AJ walked behind the three older friends with Mia following her. "We're getting my cat first though."

Hermione lead them all into Eeylops Owl Emporium, than down an aisle called: Magical Menagerie. On their way, both Mia and AJ saw a few animals in the front window, none of which either teen have ever seen before. AJ's head than began to hurt slightly; she wondered if it had something to do with the horrible smell coming from the Malfoy's earlier. AJ wondered around the back of the shop, while Ron showed Mia where the owls were. The others just stayed neared the entrance, looking at the different animals. AJ stopped in front of a green serpent's cage.

"What are you looking at, sssshape sssshifter?" It hissed.

AJ blinked, she never knew she could understand animals. She glanced around to make sure no one else was listening to her before replying to it, but she missed someone looking around a shelf towards her. AJ could feel her teeth becoming longer and her tongue morphing into that of a snake's.

"How do you know what I am?"

The snake chuckled. "Trussssssst me, it won't be long before the othersssssss figure it out too."

AJ's features became normal again as she walked away from its cage, taking in what just happened.

"AJ, you alight?" Mia asked, seeing the troubled look on her friend's face as she walked towards her.

The shape shifter was about to reply when the animals around her began to call out to her, all in their own language.

"Buy me!" most of them screeched.

AJ clamped her hands over her ears as she walked quickly out of the store, with everyone looking at her strangely and the shopkeeper trying to make their animals calm down.

Once outside, AJ flopped down onto the ground and rubbed her temples. "Why do these things always happen to me?" She asked to no one in particular. A small black cat ran out of the shop and hopped onto her lap, meowing at her before he began purring. "Come to ask if I'll buy you too?"

"What just happened in there?" Mia demanded, coming out of the shop with Hermione, Harry, and the Weasley's following her.

Hagrid walked up to the group, frowning as to what happened.

AJ shrugged and began to stroke the cat's head. "How should I know, animals just seem to like me, that's all."

Mia looked at AJ, who looked back at her, unblinking. Reading what really happened, Mia nodded before looking down at the cat.

"You going to buy that cat?"

AJ looked down at it, nodding. "Yeah, I think I am."

She stood, walking inside. This time she quickly made her way over towards the counter, telling the shopkeeper to hurry up and ring up the amount. Mia walked back towards the owls, looking at all the different color and sizes of them. Suddenly one owl in particular caught her eye. Mia walked over to the cage, Ron and Harry behind her.

"This owl looks like it will bite off anyone's hand if you pet it." Ron muttered, making a face at the owl.

Mia, however, didn't pay attention to him and whistled to the owl. The right side was all pure black except for a white spot in shape of an upside down heart, while the left side was pure white with a black spot of a right side up heart. The owl came closer to the bars, tilting it's head and hooting at Mia, who put a finger through the bars and stroked it's head downwards.

"Will, I never seen her _this_ peaceful with anyone else before." The shopkeeper said, looking a bit amaze.

Mia smiled and looked over her shoulder to the two boys. "Can I get her?"

Harry smiled. "It's your pet. You can get whatever you like."

Mia brought back her hand, looking back at the owl. She squealed happily, jumping up and down.

"I'll take her!" Mia told the shopkeeper, who smiled, shaking his head.

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Once Mia bought her owl and Harry and Ron bought a large boxes of owl nuts for Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and one for Mia's new owl, everyone started walking down the streets, looking for Fred and George's shop.

Molly looked at her watch every minute or so. "We really haven't got too long." Molly told them. "So we'll just have a quick look around and then back to the car. We must be close, that's number ninety-two… ninety-four…"

"_Whoa_." Ron said, stopping in his tracks.

AJ and Mia looked from reading the name, _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_, to the windows, displays being shown to the crowd, some looking over their shoulder for a double take, and some so stun that they came to an abrupt halt in front of the shop. The two girls, along with Harry and Ron, have started to laugh.

_WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT_

_YOU-KNOW-WHO?_

_YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT_

_U-NO-POO-_

_THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION_

_THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!_

The flashing yellow letters read. Molly gave a sort of weak moan, gazing dumbfounded as she silently mouthed the words 'U-No-Poo.' "They'll be murdered in their beds!" She whispered.

"No they won't!" Ron said laughingly. "This is brilliant!"

Ron and Harry led the way into the shop, Mia handing Hagrid her owl and AJ her cat. To Mia and AJ's surprise the store was actually packed with customers that neither of them could get near the shelves. They all looked around, amazed at what the twins actually accomplish. AJ than started to sneeze, her eyes watering as the amount of magic held within this one store.

"'_Patented Daydream Charms:_ One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens.' You know," Hermione said after reading the information on the back of a box and looking up at Harry and the two girls. "That really is extraordinary magic!"

"For that, Hermione," said a voice behind them, "you can have one for free."

A beaming Fred stood before them, wearing a set of magenta robes that clashed magnificently with his flaming hair.

"You know," Mia whispered to AJ, looking at the box Hermione put back on the shelf. "If I wasn't fifteen, I would _so_ buy one!"

AJ rolled her eyes, nudging her friend with her elbow. "You, my friend, are in need of a boyfriend if you want to fantasize -!"

AJ never finished her sentence as Mia clamped her hand over her mouth, laughing nervously at Hermione, Harry, and Fred who were looking at them. Blushing, Mia pushed AJ past them, glaring at her friend who was trying hard not to laugh. Mia dropped her hand to her side, walking towards the back of the shop.

"Thanks a lot, embarrassing me like that! You didn't have to tell the whole damn shop you know!"

"I'm sorry!" AJ said through her laughter.

The two stopped in front of a stand with card and rope tricks.

"Muggle magic tricks!"

Both Mia and AJ jumped up startled, turning to see Fred, and Harry, standing behind them.

"For freaks like dad, you know, who love Muggle stuff. It's not a big earner, but we do fairly steady business, they're great novelties… Oh, here's George…"

Fred's twin shook Harry's hand energetically, smiling to Mia and AJ.

"Giving him and the ladies a tour? Come through the back, Harry, ladies, that's where we're making the real money – _pocket anything, you, and you'll pay in more than Galleons_!" He added warningly to a small boy who hastily whipped his hand out of a the tub labeled _Edible Dark Marks – They'll make anyone sick!_

George pushed back a curtain beside the Muggle tricks and the three teens saw a darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves was more subdued.

"We've just developed this more serious line." Fred told them. "Funny how it happened… By the way, I'm Fred, that's George." Fred said, sticking his hand out.

Mia shook it first, blushing as Fred smirked at her. "Mia Justine Skye, but please just call me Mia. And that's," Mia let his hand go and pointed back to AJ, who was too busy looking at the products. "Amarna Jasmine, but call her AJ."

"Who called my name?" AJ asked, looking up from a small vile that held black powder.

"That' would be _Instant Darkness Powder_, we're importing it from Peru. Handy if you want to make a quick escape." George told AJ, who looked back interested.

"So how old are you two anyways?" Fred asked Mia.

"We're both Fifteen." Mia answered, eyeing him. "Why?"

"Too bad, I would have giving you the _Patented Daydream Charms_ for free." Fred shrugged.

Mia blushed deeply, walking quickly over to AJ and looked at a number of weird-looking black horn-type objects that were attempting to scurry out of sight. She heard Fred chuckling as Harry tried to hold in his.

"Those, Mia, are our _Decoy Detonators_. You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one." George said, looking suspiciously at his twin and Harry.

"Here," George caught a couple and threw them to Harry, and handed one to Mia.

Before both teens could say anything, a young witch with short blonde hair poked her head around the curtain, she too, wearing magenta staff robes.

"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley." She said.

"Right you are, Verity, I'm coming." George said promptly. "Harry, you help yourself to anything you want, all right? No charge."

"Same goes to you two ladies, just for being pretty." Fred said, AJ rolling her eyes and Mia blushing deeply.

"I can't do that!" Harry cried, who had already pulled out his money bag to pay for the _Decoy Detonators_.

"Yes, neither can I." Mia replied, taking out her own money bag and counting how much she had, which wasn't enough.

"You don't pay here." Fred said to Harry firmly, waving away Harry's gold. "And that will make up for the _Patented Daydream Charms_."

"But-" both teens started.

"Don't argue and just take advantage of their hospitality." AJ argued, pocketing the _Instant Darkness Powder_.

"You gave us our start-up loan, we haven't forgotten." George told Harry sternly. "Take whatever you like, and just remember to tell people where you got it if they ask."

George swept off through the curtain to help with the customers, and Fred led Harry, Mia, and AJ back into the main part of the shop to find Hermione and Ginny still poring over the _Patented Daydream Charms_.

"Haven't you girls found our special _WonderWitch_ products yet?" Fred asked Hermione and Ginny. "Follow me, ladies…"

Near the window was an array of violently pink products around which a cluster of excited girls was giggling enthusiastically. Hermione and Ginny both hung back, looking wary.

"There you go," Fred said proudly. "Best range of love potions you'll find anywhere."

Ginny and AJ raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Do they work?" They asked, the both of them staring at each other as they said it at the same time.

"Certainly they work, for up to twenty-four hours at a time depending on the weight of the boy in question -"

"- and the attractiveness of the girl." George added, reappearing suddenly at their side. "But we're not selling them to our sister," he added as an afterthought, becoming suddenly stern. "Not when she's already got bout five boys on the go from what we've-"

"Whatever you've heard from Ron is a big fat lie." Ginny told them calmly, leaning forward to take a small pink pot off the shelf. "What's this?"

"Guaranteed ten-second pimple vanisher." Fred said. "Excellent on everything from boils to blackheads, but don't change the subject. Are you or are you not currently going out with a boy called Dean Thomas?"

Both Mia and AJ picked up a purple (as they hate pink) round balls of fluff, emitting high-pitched squeaks.

"Pygmy Puffs." George told them. "Miniature puffskeins, we can't breed them fast enough. So what about Michael Corner?"

AJ raised an eyebrow, putting the fluff back in. She looked at her friend who was cooing like a baby at the thing. AJ shook her head, looking out the window, narrowing her eyes.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

_Last Chapter:_

AJ raised an eyebrow, putting the fluff back in. She looked at her friend who was cooing like a baby at the thing. AJ shook her head, looking out the window, narrowing her eyes.

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AJ saw a tall black wizard looking straight at Mia. The look he wore was that of disbelief and relief at the sight of the mind reader. The wizard suddenly jerked his staring from Mia to Hagrid. They both shook hands, talking rather quickly. AJ was about to go out and find out who the wizard was when Ginny's voice brought her gaze to her, momentarily forgetting what she was seeing.

"It's none of your business. And I'll thank _you_," Ginny glared at Ron who appeared next to George. "Not to tell tales about me to these two!"

"That's three Galleons, nine Sickles, and a Knut." Fred said, examining the boxes in Ron's arms. "Cough up."

"I'm your brother!" Ron exclaimed.

"And that's our stuff you're nicking. Three Galleons, nine Sickles, I'll knock off the Knut."

"But I haven't got three Galleons, nine Sickles!"

"You'd better put it back then, and mind you put it on the right shelves."

"Oooh! They're so cute!" Mia's voice made everyone turn to her, forgetting what they were doing.

"Too bad you don't have the money." AJ said in a sarcastic sweet tone.

Mia made a face and put back the Pygmy Puff.

"Aww! Mum, can _I_ have a Pygmy Puff?" Ginny asked, pushing Mia aside roughly and rudely.

AJ grabbed Mia and pulled her back next to the twins before she could do some damage to the un-expecting girl. Just then the teens saw Draco hurrying up the street by himself, looking over his shoulder before disappearing from sight. AJ frowned in confusion and suspicion. She suddenly remembered the tall wizard and looked around outside the window but didn't seem him around any longer.

'_I wonder what that boy's doing? And where the heck did that other wizard go?'_

Shaking her head, AJ let Mia go and turned back to the trio best friends only not to see them near no longer. Mia elbowed AJ in the ribs and motioned her head to the floor by the entrance. AJ saw Ron's feet then Hermione's and Harry's before they disappeared over a cloth AJ could see. AJ and Mia looked at each other, a look that clearly said 'what was going on?'

"Cover me." AJ whispered.

Mia nodded and watched as AJ turns into a cat with pink streaks. She rushed off after the trio, feeling their magical presences and decided to follow that. Suddenly with her keen hearing, AJ smirked as she heard their quiet voices.

"That's him, isn't it?" Hermione whispered. "Turning left?"

AJ looked up past them just as Draco turned. She saw the sign above; _Knockturn Alley_.

"Big surprise." Ron whispered next.

"Quickly, or we'll lose him." Harry said, speeding up.

AJ was now running behind them, trying to keep up with their large strides. When they turned left into the dark alley, AJ immediately sneezed, running behind an abandon box, scratching her nose fiercely. The amount of dark magic hanging heavenly in the air all around.

"They you guys hear that? It sounded right behind us." Hermione said, looking back to see nothing.

"It was probably someone inside or something. Come on before we lose Malfoy!"

Not wanting to lose the three of them, AJ made herself not to feel the strong magic and ran after the trio. The streets were deserted, so it was easy for the shape shifter to follow the trio without any problem of losing them.

"Ouch!"

"Shh! Look! He's in there!" Hermione breathed in Harry's ear, the three of them stopping suddenly.

For AJ it was a tad to late, and unexpected in her part, and crash right into one of three's legs.

"What the-!" Harry looked down, frowning.

AJ meowed, rubbing her nose as it hit hard against, whom she presumes, Harry. Shaking her head, AJ looked around, pretending to see what she hit. That's when she saw Draco inside a store with the name _Borgin and Burkes_.

"Where did that cat come from?" Ron whispered.

"Is that… _Pink streaks in it's fur_!" Hermione asked in disbelief.

Panicking, AJ ran over to the store and jumped onto the ledge. This distracted the three to look back inside the store.

"If only we could hear what they're saying!" Hermione said.

AJ narrowed her eyes at a small open window on the other side of the window and quickly made her way over to it. Pushing it through with her head, AJ slipped in and made her way carefully over to Draco and an ugly looking man AJ did _not_ want to know.

"You know how to fix it?" Draco asked, looking at what AJ could see a wardrobe with a mirror on the door.

"Possibly. I'll need to see it, though. Why don't you bring it into the shop?" The man asked.

"I can't, it's got to stay put. I just need you to tell me how to do it." Draco said almost impatiently.

The old man licked his lips nervously. "Well, without seeing it, I must say it will be a very difficult job, perhaps impossible. I couldn't guarantee anything."

"No?" Draco sneered at the man, his eyes narrowed into a glare. "Perhaps this will make you more confident."

Draco moved towards the man, pushing up his sleeves. AJ looked up to jump up higher to see. But when she did, the shape shifter bumped into something that fell and made much noise. AJ cringed and looked back down to the pale face of the man and the glaring of Draco.

"Damn cat! Get!" The old man threw a duster at AJ, making her jump down and scurry back to the window and run out into the street.

'_Dang! I better get back to the joke shop before everyone starts getting suspicious of my disappearance.'_

AJ ran as fast as she can back to _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_. She waited for almost five minutes before someone walked out and AJ brushed her way in. But before she could find a safe place to transform, a voice made her look up in panic.

"Who let a cat in?" Fred asked as he made his way towards AJ.

Mia looked down and panicked as she saw AJ pleading her silently before sprinting forward and behind Mia. Fred ran after the cat, side stepping Mia but only to see the cat shoot between their legs. Mia grabbed Fred's arms to steady herself as the cat bumped roughly against her leg. Mia glared after her friend. Fred turned once more and took several steps before AJ, once again, ran between his legs and pushing past Mia, who turned to get out of the way. But the mind reader lost her balance and fell right on top of Fred.

AJ jumped up on Mia's chest and sat down, meowing innocently. But Mia could see the laughter in the cat's eyes.

Mia glared at her. _'You're **so** going to get it!'_

Meowing once more, AJ made her way over by the corner. AJ looked around to see everyone busy looking at the products, or at the fallen Mia and Fred, that she transformed back into herself. She picked up a product quickly, pretending to be reading the back.

"I'm so sorry for falling on top of you!" Mia said, standing up with the help of George.

"It wasn't your fault that you lost your balance because of that dumb cat!" Fred said, dusting his clothing.

"Where is Harry? And Ron? And Hermione? And AJ?" Molly asked in worry and concern.

Turning around on the spot, Molly went around the shop looking for them. After twenty minutes, Molly saw AJ and rushed over to her, taking the young girl by the shoulders.

"Where have you been? And where is Harry, Ron, and Hermione?"

AJ put back the product and took Molly's own shoulders. "I've been here the whole time, looking at the products."

Mia, the twins, Ginny, and Arthur came up to them. AJ felt the said trio's presences back within the shop, near the group. AJ looked at Mia.

"**Tell her that they must be in the back and must've not seen them properly because she's too worried!"**

"Mrs. Weasley, I believe I saw Harry, Hermione, and Ron go into the back of the shop. I just think you missed them because you're too worried about them and that they disappeared all too quickly." Mia said, feeling something brush against her arm when she placed on Molly's shoulder.

"Do you really think-?" Molly asked, not really finishing her sentence as she turned towards the curtains leading into the back room.

She let AJ go and made her way towards it just as the three of them walked out, acting surprise and taken back at Molly.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Molly threw her arms around the three, hugging them tightly. "Don't you three _ever_ do that to me again!"

"We told you where we were going mum." Ron lied, patting his mother's back lightly.

"Oh, come on, it's getting late. We should head back home." Molly let them go and led the group over to the cashier to pay for anything that anyone was to buy.

The group followed, but Harry quickly grabbed AJ's arm, making her look at him curiously.

"I want to say thank you for covering us." Harry whispered, making sure no one was around listening.

AJ frowned in confusion innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about?"

Both smiling, the duo walked behind Molly, who was ready to leave the shop. Ginny glared at AJ before turning her head with a huff and going after her mother. AJ walked next to Mia and smirked, looking at her friend in the corner of her eye.

"Have a nice trip friend?"

Mia turned her head sharply at AJ, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "That was uncalled for you know!" Mia punched AJ in the arm slightly.

"Ow! I know, but it was fun!" AJ said with much laughter behind her tone, rubbing her arm.

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As soon as the group returned home, AJ and Mia went to their 'borrowed' rooms with their packages for the school year. They have found that Dumbledore had left them both trunks for them to take. So during their packing and looking through their books and such, AJ told Mia of what she heard and saw when she went inside the store. Knowing that this was not good, both Mia and AJ decided to keep an eye out for Draco to make sure what he was up to.

"So, what are you going to name your cat?" Mia asked, opening the door for her own owl.

"Don't know." AJ looked at the cat, tilting her head. Mia watched in amazement as AJ shifted most of her face into that of a cat.

"Hello," she purred, stroking her cat's black head. "I'm your new master, AJ, what's your name?"

The feline meowed his response. "Hello to you too, mistress, I'm pleased to meet such an interesting shape shifter as yourself. I'm Anubis, after the Ancient Egyptian god of death."

AJ let her features become normal again as she picked him up. "His name is Anubis."

AJ than looked up at Mia. "How about you? What are you going to name your owl?"

Mia shrugged, looking at the mysterious and calmed looking owl sitting on the windowsill next to Mia. Her stare was unnerving for Mia, and was creeping her out a bit.

"How does… Harmony sound?" Mia asked her owl, tilting her head.

The unique owl hooted, ruffling it's feathers.

"That's a yes." AJ told her friend, smiling.

The last week of summer, AJ continued to play Quidditch with Harry, Ron, and Ginny, while Mia stayed in the room, either reading the spell books or writing in her journal. Sometimes she helped out with Molly around the house, but Fleur was always in the way, trying to get on Molly's good side.

When the day came for the teens to go back to Hogwarts (and the first time for Mia and AJ to go), everything went smoothly that morning.

Both Mia and AJ woke up at the same time. Mia laid on her stomach, sprawled out on the twin-size bed, while AJ was curled up in a ball on her side. They looked at each other for a moment, trying to get rid of the sleep from their eyes.

"You want to take a shower first?" AJ asked.

"No, do you?" Mia asked sleepily.

"No." AJ said back, also sleepily.

The two teens continued to lay there, falling asleep once more before Mia spoke up again, her eyes half close.

"We have to get up, you know. We have to catch the train." Mia mumbled.

"I know." AJ mumbled back.

They continued to stare at one another sleepily, the only thing breaking the silence were the voices of the other kids in the house, getting ready to leave. Although it was fairly early, the kids were up and making so much noise.

"Fine, I'll go." Mia muttered, slowly getting out of bed.

AJ smiled in triumphant. "Thanks!"

Grabbing her backpack, Mia stumbled out of the room to bump into Bill, closing the door with a slam.

"Whoa, you okay?"

Mia only grunted as she moved out of his arms. "Thanks for catchingme." Mia said through a yawn.

Bill chuckled, "no problem. I'll make sure you get something strong to wake you up."

Mia nodded, waving back a hand at him as she wakled up the stairs. Chuckling still, Bill walked down the steps, shaking his head.

--20 minutes later—

AJ was peacefully asleep until she felt something tickling her nose. She swatted it way unconsciously, trying to go back to sleep. Feeling nothing else, AJ begun to fall back to sleep. She was almost back to the conscious of dreams, when a loud, familiar voice screamed into her sensitive ears.

"It's your turn to shower!"

AJ yelled, scrambling to sit up but only attempting to fall off the bed with a loud thump. The shape shifter glared up to a laughing mind reader. She was dressed in black baggy hip-huggers and a black t-shirt with Grumpy from _Snow White_ with the words in Old English in red that read '_I'm Grumpy'_, and on the back with the same character with the same words that read '_What's your excuse?_'.

AJ squinted at Mia's navel to see a silver bar with a heart shape hang from a small chain.

"I didn't know you have your belly button pierce."

Mia helped AJ up, nodding her head. "Yeah, I was a bit of a rebel when I left, those people who called themselves parents, house."

AJ frowned. "But you need a parents consent to have it pierce."

Mia smiled as her eyes twinkle with laughter. "The guy thought I was eighteen, so he didn't ask for ID."

Rolling her eyes, AJ grabbed her pack. "I'll be back."

--15 minutes later—

AJ walked back into the room to see Mia on the bed, writing. Mia looked up to see AJ in a baggy pair of blue jeans (held up by a worn leather belt) and a dark red T-shirt with a silver chain around her neck; it had an M on it too.

Mia puts down her notebook, leaving the pen in the page she was writing in and closed it.

"Ready to go to school?" AJ made a face, making Mia laugh. "Me neither."

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Everyone's trunks were packed, their pets caged, and the Ministry cars already outside the Burrow and waiting.

The ride to the King's Cross Station was an uneventful one. The only thing that made them all smile was when Ron attempted to try and get a goodbye kiss from Fleur, who gave one to Harry, but Ginny stuck out her foot and Ron fell face first at Fleur's feet. When the cars stopped in front of the station, two grim-faced, bearded Auror's in dark Muggle suits moved forward, flanking the party; marched them into the station without speaking.

"Quick, quick, through the barrier." Molly told them, but looked a little flustered by this austere efficiency. "Harry had better go first, with -"

"Us!" Mia and AJ spoke up, Harry sighing in relief.

The three of them, with their trolleys, all walked forward with one of the Auror's walking behind them.

"Just take a deep breath and just stroll into the wall." Harry told them, smiling at them. "Just follow my lead."

And he pushed his trolley directly at the solid barrier, disappearing in seconds. AJ looked at Mia expectantly. Taking a deep breath, Mia did the same, almost crashing into Harry, who moved out of the way just in time. Mia smiled before looking in awe at the scarlet Hogwarts Express, steam coming out from the bottom and on top of the train. Harry quickly took Mia's arm and brought her to the side seconds before AJ crashed into Mia. AJ, too, was in awe at the sight before her.

When the Auror came from behind seconds later, he directed the teens to the side, the Weasley's and Hermione coming after them with the other Auror behind. Harry motioned to Ron and Hermione to follow him up the platform, looking for an empty compartment.

"We can't Harry." Hermione said, looking apologetic. "Ron and I've got to go the prefect's carriage first and then patrol the corridors for a bit."

"Oh yeah, I forgot." Harry told them, almost looking crestfallen.

"You'd better get straight on the train, all of you, you've only got a few minutes to go." Molly told them, consulting her watch. "Well, have a lovely term, Ron. Girls, it was a pleasure having you with us."

Molly hugged Mia and AJ, as Harry walked away with Arthur. Both girls smiled at the kind woman before them.

"It was a pleasure, Mrs. Weasley. Thank you for having us."

AJ smiled widely. "Yeah, and thank you for the food. You're a wonderful cook!"

Molly laughed, hurriedly pushing the girls into the train. As the two teens made their way inside, they turned for a last minute wave to the kind group, Harry getting on behind them.

"Now, dear, you're coming to us for Christmas, it's all fixed with Dumbledore, so we'll see you quiet soon." Molly said to Harry through the window, as Harry slammed the door shut behind him and the train began to move. "You make sure you look after yourself and-" the train gathered speed. "-be good and-" Molly had to practically jog aside the train. "-stay safe! All of you!"

Harry, Mia, and AJ all waved until the train had turned a corner and Molly and Arthur were lost to view. Harry turned to Mia and AJ, who looked at him expectantly. Smiling, Harry motioned them to follow him.

"So, is everyone nice in Gryffindor?" AJ asked, wanting to make conversation.

"Yeah, but I don't know many fifth years." Harry said, smiling back at them. "But don't worry; I'm sure you two will get along fine."

As they walk down the corridor, the two girls could see a lot of the kids in the way or in the compartment staring shamelessly over at Harry, as will as curiosity to the two teens that were with him. Harry stopped behind Ginny, tapping her on the shoulder.

"Fancy trying to find a compartment?"

Ginny turned around, purposefully ignoring the other two teens behind Harry.

"I can't, Harry, I said I'd meet Dean." Ginny said a bit brightly. "See you later."

"Right." Harry almost whispered, as Ginny walked past them, glaring at the two girls.

Before the two teens, however, can break Harry out of his thoughts, a group of girls did that for them. Mia leaned in close to AJ, whispering so only she can hear.

"Should we help him?"

The two girls looked at each other and both shook their heads, smiling as they spoke at the same time. "Naw."

Though it was Harry's lucky day today as a voice that Harry knew spoke up.

"Hi Harry!"

Mia and AJ turned to see a round boy behind them, waving to Harry, smiling, while holding a frog in his hand.

"Neville!" Harry said with relief.

"Hello Harry." One of the girls with long hair and large misty eyes said from behind Neville.

"Luna, hi, how are you?"

"Very well, thank you." Luna said

"Will you Brittney Spears wannabes move out of the way so we can get to a compartment!" AJ snapped, getting irritated by the girls pushing just to get Harry's attention.

**(A/N: For Brittney Spears fan, don't take offense, I like her music, I don't like _her_, but I just had to use somebody and Brittney Spears just came to my mind.)**

The girls all glared at AJ, turning red as Harry, Luna, and Neville started to chuckle.

"Come on, let's find seats." Harry said, moving down the corridor once again.

Towards the end of the train, the group found an empty compartment and Harry hurriedly inside, gratefully. Once the door was close, Mia rounded on Harry, catching him by surprise but Neville spoke up first.

"They're even staring at _us_!" Neville indicated to himself and Luna. "Because we're with you!"

"They're staring at you because you were at the Ministry too." Harry said, hoisting his trunk into the luggage rack. "Our little adventure there was all over the _Daily Prophet_, you must've seen it."

Before Neville or Luna could speak up, Mia did.

"But why are they calling you the 'Chosen One?'"

Harry only shook his head, an emotion coming into his eyes that Mia couldn't read well.

"Just some dumb rumor the _Daily Prophet_ made up." Was Harry's answer before looking over to AJ who was trying to put her own trunk up in the rack. "Here, let me help you with that."

"Thanks." AJ said, smiling.

"Come back here, Trevor!" Neville cried, diving under the seat to retrieve his toad as it made one of it's frequent bids for freedom.

"Are we still doing D.A. meetings this year, Harry?" Luna asked quietly, detaching a pair of psychedelic spectacles from the middle of _The Quibbler_.

"What's D.A. stand for?" AJ asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harry and Luna looked at her, Mia rolling her eyes as the rounded boy was still trying to catch his frog. As she stood behind both Harry and Luna, Mia pointed two fingers from the end of the seat near the window and moved her fingers quickly over to the rounded boy, a gust of wind blowing underneath. The boy cried out as he was hit with the wind and quickly got out from under the seat, his frog in his hands. Harry and Luna turned around to see what happened as AJ gave a pointing look at Mia, who shrugged innocently.

"Where did that wind come from?" Neville asked confused.

Mia looked at Harry and Luna. "So, what's D.A.?" She smiled, hands on hips.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Um… Will…" Harry looked uncomfortable at Luna, who only shrugged and went to take a seat near the door. Sighing, Harry nodded. "It's short for Dumbledore's Army. It was a club, so to say, for those who wanted to demonstrate defenses spells. During last year, a woman named _Umbridge_ decided that we had to learn the defense spells out of a book instead of demonstrating in class."

Interested, Mia sat down next to the door, AJ next to the window. Harry sat down in front of AJ, while Neville sat in between Harry and Luna, holding tightly on to Trevor. The three of them continued to talk about what happened during the fifth year, until Harry let his two friends fill in Mia and look out the window.

AJ lost interest in the conversation a while back and just simply looked out the window, still half listening to the others talked. Although she had only met Neville and Luna a short while ago, AJ had already come to the conclusion that Luna was crazy and Neville was quite nice to put it bluntly.

"AJ, are you listening?" Mia questioned, waving her hand in front of her friend's face.

AJ snapped back into reality and looked over at her. "Do I ever listen?"

Mia sighed and went back to her conversation with the others while AJ went back to looking out the window. After a few more minutes, she took her wand out of its little sheath at her right side and waved it in front of her, muttering a few words under her breath. Her book appeared, hovering in the air a few seconds later.

The shape shifter grabbed it out of the air and set it onto her lap, putting her wand away before noticing that the others were staring at her.

"What?" She asked, looking at each of them with a puzzled look on her face. "Never seen a summoning charm before?"

Mia, having never witnessed it before, just looked at her oddly. "Why didn't you just get it out of your trunk like a normal person?"

AJ made a face at the mind reader. "Maybe because one, I'm not normal and two, I'm a very lazy person."

She opened up her book near the end and began silently reading, ignoring her friend's ranting as usual.

"What are you reading, AJ?" Harry asked, causing the shape shifter's head to jerk up.

"Umm… it's a book." AJ replied lamely.

The corners of Mia's mouth twitched as she tried not to laugh. AJ, feeling the small twitch of her friend, elbowed Mia slightly, making the mind reader to bit her lip from not laughing out loud.

"I mean it's a book about – er – it's full of ancient spells and potions and stuff." AJ managed to think up quick.

"Can I see it?" Harry inquired.

AJ looked extremely hesitant as she closed the book and handed it to him. Harry opened it up and began to flip through the pages, only to find them black! There wasn't a single writing or letters within the pages, making Harry frown.

Mia nudged AJ and leaned so that only she could hear. "Did you put a spell on it or something?"

The shape shifter shook her head and looked quizzically at her book in Harry's hands. She took it back from the wizard and began flipping through the pages herself; only they were full of handwritten words and pictures once more.

"That's interesting…" AJ muttered, raising an eyebrow at her book. "I guess it doesn't like to be in other peoples hands."

"But Mr. Lupin read some of it, remember?" Mia stated confused.

AJ shrugged and went back to reading, confused as will. But a disturbance outside their compartment door made her look up, along with the other four teens. A group of fourth-year girls were whispering and giggling together on the other side of the glass.

"You ask him!"

"No, you!"

"I'll do it!"

A bold-looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin, and long black hair pushed her way through the door.

"Hi Harry, I'm Romilda, Romilda Vane." She said loudly and confidently.

Mia and AJ leaned next to each other, an amused grin on both of them.

"I'm Bond, James Bond." And the two teens sat up straight, trying not to laugh out loud.

But not hearing them, Romilda continued. "Why don't you join us in our compartment? You don't' have to sit with _them_." She added in a stage whisper, indicating Neville, Luna with her Spectrespecs on, AJ with her book wide open, and Mia.

"This bi- She's going to hear me!" Mia commented under her breath, standing up.

AJ jumped, grabbing Mia's arm and bringing her back down, glaring coldly at the girl. Mia turned sharply at AJ, pleading her in a cold whisper.

"Just this once! _Please_, just this _once_!"

"Do you _want_ to get kicked out?" AJ asked, shaking her head.

"No one has to _know_!" Mia pleaded, grinding her teeth together.

"They're friends of mine." Harry sad as equally as coldly as Mia whispered to AJ.

"Oh," Romilda said, looking very surprise. "Oh. Okay."

And she withdrew, sliding the door closed behind her but not before Mia saying goodbye to her and flipping her off. AJ punched Mia on the shoulder, glaring disapproving at her friend.

"Sorry, old habits die hard." Mia rubbed her shoulder. "You didn't have to hit me so hard!"

AJ mimicked Mia, going back to her book, missing Mia sticking out her tongue at her.

"People expect you to have cooler friends than us." Luna said, once again displaying her knack for embarrassing honesty.

"You are cool." Harry said shortly. "None of them was at the Ministry. They didn't fight with me."

"That's a nice thing to say." Luna beamed, before pushing her Spectrespecs farther up her nose and settled down to reading her _The Quibbler_.

"We didn't face _him_, though." Neville said after a while, looking down at Trevor. "You did. You should hear my gran talk about you. _'That Harry Potter's got more backbone than the whole Ministry of Magic put together!'_ She'd give anything to have you as a grandson…"

Knowing Harry was uncomfortable about this, Mia spoke up for him. "He was only doing it for revenge on his parent's part." Neville looked up at Mia, than to Harry to see if it was true. "I think if you had the chance to face _him_, you would have done it so he wouldn't harm another soul."

Neville smiled, looking back down at Trevor. Harry looked at the mind reader, questioning eyes looking at her.

"Dumbledore." Mia mouthed, before standing up and retrieving her journal.

Harry and Neville started to converse about Quidditch, while the three girls busied themselves with their own things. Two of them reading, the other writing about anything and many things. It wasn't until almost noon that Hermione and Ron entered the compartment. Both teen girls looking up from their book and journal noticed that they weren't all going to fit. They looked at one another, quietly debating of who was going to sit on the floor.

Unfortunately for Mia, she lost. Grumbling, the mind reader stood up and walked over to the window. She leaned back and slid down to the floor. Her knees close to her chest, Mia went back to writing in her journal. Ron and Hermione sat on the seat, Hermione sitting next to the door, AJ grateful for it.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving." Ron said longingly, slumping against the seat, rubbing his stomach. "Hey Neville. Hi, Luna. Guess what?" He added, looking to Harry. "Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherin's, we saw him when we passed."

At the mention of the Malfoy's, Mia stiffened, the only people noticing were AJ and Harry as their legs just barely touched Mia's arms. Not wanting to get up, Mia took out her wand from the side pocket on her pants and summoned her CD player along with her CD case. AJ kicked Mia slightly, the mind reader looking up.

"You okay?"

"Fine, just don't want to be bother is all." Mia lied, putting on her headphones and putting in the _Elektra_ soundtrack, the volume almost full blast.

Ignoring the girl, Harry looked at Ron. "What did he do when he saw you?"

"The usual." Ron said indifferently, putting up his middle finger. "Not like him, though, is it? Well – _that_ is" Ron put up his middle finger again – "but why isn't he out there bullying first years?"

"Dunnon." Harry said, his mind racing with many different questions and solutions.

"Maybe he preferred the Inquisitorial Squad." Hermione put in. "Maybe being a prefect seems a bit tame after that."

"I don't think so." Harry said. "I think he's -"

But before Harry could tell them his theory, the compartment door slid open again, a breathless third-year girl stepping inside. Everyone, including Mia, looked up at the girl, who held two scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbon.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-Potter." She faltered, as her eyes met Harry's and she turned scarlet.

Perplexed, Harry and Neville took the scroll addressed to each of tem and the girl stumbled back out of the compartment. At this, Mia laughed, shaking her head. She looked up at the shape shifter, who smiled, trying to hold in her laughter, as the same thought ran through their mind.

"What is it?" Ron demanded, as Harry unrolled his, ignoring the laughing Mia and AJ.

"An invitation." Harry said before reading out loud.

"_Harry,_

_I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor H. E. F. Slughorn_"

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" Neville asked, looking perplexedly at his own invitation.

"New teacher." Harry told him. "Well, I suppose we'll have to go, won't we?"

Before Neville could ask his concern, Mia took off her headphones, letting them rest upon her neck.

"Maybe this professor wants to talk with you over something that has _nothing_ to do with what happened during the Ministry."

"How'd you know I was worried about what he wanted me for?" Neville asked confused.

Mia only smiled. "I have my ways."

"Listen," Harry started, wanting badly to know what was up with Malfoy. "Let's go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to."

So the two boys stood and Harry threw over an Invisibility Cloak on himself and Neville. The two walked out of the compartment, Mia making no move to sit on the unoccupied seats. As an hour passed by, no one, besides Ron and Hermione, said a single word, all of them doing their own thing. AJ stopped reading her book and summoned it back into her trunk just as the woman with a trolley full of different candies.

AJ looked down to her friend to see that she was falling asleep, but her pen was still moving across the paper. AJ found this very amusing and smiled while leaning forward and shaking the mind reader awake.

Mia jerked her head up and looked to AJ tiredly. "Hmm, thanks." Mia said, yawning.

"No prob, want some candy?" AJ asked, pointing to the woman.

Mia shook her head, scrunching up her nose. "No thanks."

AJ shrugged and stood to get some candy. The day continued to pass and no sign of either Neville or Harry returning to the compartment. When the time for the students to change into their robes came, the group all stood and grabbed their robes, putting them over their clothing. AJ and Mia were the only ones who kept them opened, hating the robes so much.

"You know, you can get detention or _worse_ points taken off if you were your robes like that!" Hermione complained, disapproving both Mia and AJ.

"I doubt Dumbledore would care how we're dressed." AJ said, stretching back into her seat.

Just than, the compartment door opened, silencing Hermione who was going to argue back. Neville entered the compartment alone, alarming everyone, although Luna seemed unfazed by this.

"Where's Harry?" Ron and AJ asked at the same time.

Neville sat down shaking his head. "He put on his Invisibility Cloak and disappeared. He said that he was going to tell me later."

Both AJ and Mia looked at each other before they both quickly stood up.

"We're going to the bathroom. Be back." Both teens said, quickly walking out of the compartment.

They walked towards the back of the train and entered one of the small bathrooms.

Mia locked the door before looking at her friend. "Okay, you turn into a cat and I'll follow you. Wherever Harry's at I'll see what the hell that boy's thinking!"

AJ nodded and transformed to a familiar black cat with streaks in it's fur. Nodding herself, Mia unlocked the door and walked out, AJ running out quickly. Although the magic from the students was strong, AJ only concentrated on one familiar magic. Mia had to literally jog to catch up with AJ, getting some strange and confused stares from students within the compartments.

AJ suddenly came to a halt in front of a compartment, Mia taking in a deep breath, almost stepping on AJ's tail. AJ hissed up at Mia before pawing at the door before her. Mia looked up and saw several Slytherin's glaring at her, amongst them Draco Malfoy. Mia gulped nervously before going back down the way she came from.

"**Malfoy's up to something. He's a Death Eater, I _know_ it! And now he's working for Voldemort as an inside spy at Hogwarts. But what's he got to do? What information could Malfoy get?"**

AJ meowed her friend, running up to catch up.

Mia kneeled and scooped up her friend. "Harry thinks Malfoy's a Death Eater, whatever that is. And that he's working for some guy name Voldemort as an inside spy at Hogwarts, but doesn't know what kind of information Malfoy could get." Mia whispered quickly before putting down her friend.

Mia stopped in the middle where the carts connected, waiting for AJ to transform back into her human form. Once she did, the two continued on her way, both AJ and Mia worried.

"What do you think? If Malfoy is an inside spy, what _good_ information will he need to give this guy that could be so important?" AJ questioned. "I mean, this is a _school_! What can be so important about a _school_?"

Mia shook her head slightly; narrowing her eyes as thoughts quickly ran through her head.

"Maybe it doesn't have to do with the school but with _who's_ in the school."

AJ and Mia stopped in front of their compartment, both girls looking at each other as they thought over the possibilities.

"Should we tell Dumbledore?" AJ asked.

Mia shook her head. "I think we should investigate, observe the teachers and students within this school. If Malfoy is going to be given information to this guy, it might be someone important for this person to kidnap or something. Kinda like what Mr. Lupin told me back when he found out I was Karya's daughter. He had to put me in hiding so this Voldemort won't find me. If he does, he will torture me or kill me so I can be in his side." Mia looked at her worried friend. "Apparently there's a war going on and we somehow got end up in the damn middle!"

AJ nodded slowly, before a small smile form upon her lips. "Looks like that _Dark Assassins_ thing has gotten to your head. Maybe it's the assassin in your blood."

Mia rolled her eyes, smiling. "Let's go inside before Ron and Hermione hears anymore. Oh, and I think that Harry might stay in that compartment until we reach the station."

Mia pulled back the door, Ron and Hermione falling to the floor at AJ's feet. AJ raised an eyebrow at the duo as they looked up at the shape shifter. Mia simply stepped over them as did AJ. The two teens sat opposite of each other near the window, Mia putting on her headphones and writing in her journal, as AJ went back to studying her book. Ron and Hermione continued to stare at the two girls, but neither of them gave in into what exactly they were talking about as neither of Ron or Hermione understood their last bit of conversation.

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Soon, the train was coming in slower, a few minutes later it came to a complete halt. Everyone in the compartment started to bring down their trunks and cages of their animals, AJ and Mia putting their things away. As the older teens started to fill out into the crowded hallways, Ron with Harry's trunk and owl, Mia and AJ stood back, AJ sitting on top of their trunks. Mia walked to the door and closed it before turning her back on it and leaning against the door, her arms crossed.

"You think we should go and get Harry or go and distract Malfoy enough for Harry to come out of that compartment _if_ he got caught."

AJ shook her head, biting her lower lip. "No," she said after a while. "I think I should go back to that compartment and just follow Harry until I know he's safely on the station."

Mia smirked, pushing herself off the door and sliding down all the blinds. "You best hurry before Malfoy closes the door."

AJ nodded and transformed back into the familiar cat. Mia slide's back the door, holding it with one arm as she watches AJ hurry out of the compartment and down the hall, expertly moving out of the way of many feet. The mind reader looked back at the two trunks, groaning.

"Now I have to haul out _her_ trunk as will."

Grumbling, Mia leaned against the door frame, wondering how she was going to bring _her_ trunk, _Harmony_, _AJ's_ trunk, _and_ Anubis out into the station.

"Hey, need a bit of help?" A voice said from behind Mia.

The mind reader jumped away from the door and turned, only to stumble over her trunk. But she was grabbed from around the waist, stopping her from hitting her head on AJ's trunk. Mia looked up to two haunting, yet dazzling, smoky-gray eyes.

"T-Thanks." Mia whispered.

The boy who caught her smiled that made Mia's stomach flipped around. "No problem."

He straightens up, pulling Mia along. Smiling back, Mia studied the boy before her quickly. He was at least six feet, two inches, broad shoulders (from what Mia could tell from the robes), a somewhat tan complexion, dark shoulder hair that somehow suited him, and a few hairs here and there on his chin and cheeks.

Mia held out her hand at him, trying to calm down her nerves. "Mia Justine Skye."

The boy shook Mia's hand. "Ivan Hamming." Dropping their hand to their sides, Ivan pointed to AJ's trunk and cat. "So, need a bit of help?"

"Yeah, my friend had to go do something that was really important and left me to take her trunk and cat."

Ivan just smiled and took hold of AJ's trunk and cat. Mia grabbed her trunk and Harmony's cage, looking up at Ivan who seemed to have been studying her rather quickly as will. Blushing at being caught, Ivan cleared his throat, Mia smiling.

"After you, my lady." Ivan bowed mockingly, motioning the door with his arm.

"Thank you kind sir." Mia replied, chuckling.

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AJ ran as fast as she could, seeing Draco about to close the door. AJ ran as fast as she could and jumped into the compartment just as the door slid to a close. The shape shifter sniffed around, smelling Harry's magic abilities. But unfortunately for AJ, she also caught the familiar smell of the dreadful odor that she got from the Malfoy's back at Diagon Alley.

AJ didn't want to transform in front of Harry, but she knew that sooner or later she had to tell him. AJ just didn't know how Harry would react to it. She knew she could trust him to keep her secret, but it's just how Harry would feel about it. Sighing, AJ knew she had to take the chance and took a deep breath.

AJ transformed and pulled back Harry's Invisibility Cloak to see blood sliding down from his nose, which looked a bit deformed.

'_Probably broken.'_ AJ thought as she sat on her knees.

The shape shifter than noticed that Harry couldn't move and tried to remember back to the lessons she had over the summer. She cursed herself for forgetting them, knowing that she should have paid more attention to the lesson like Mia did. Remembering something she read in her book, AJ took out her wand and summoned her book on top of the seats.

AJ quickly flipped through it, hoping to hurry up before they were late to go to the castle. The shape shifter laughed in triumphant and turned around on her knees in front of Harry. AJ started to mumbled something that Harry couldn't understand, his whole body feeling hot before going cold, than to his warm temperature. Harry quickly sat up, looking amaze, the blood gone and his nose no longer broken.

"Thanks AJ. But how-?"

AJ interrupted him by standing up, grabbing his arm. "I'll explain later but we can't be late."

The duo ran down the hallway and jumped off the train just as it started to move. The shape shifter looked around to see her friend waving to her from a carriage that was going to be led by a black leather-winged horse-looking. Still holding Harry's hand, AJ led him over to her friend and carriage. They entered the carriage and sat down, AJ surprise to see a boy sitting next to Mia. She raised a questioning eyebrow at the mind reader, a smirk on her lips.

"Ivan Hamming, my best friend Amarna Jasmine, AJ for short, and Harry Potter." Mia introduce, smiling at AJ.

"Nice to meet you." Ivan said, shaking AJ's hand, than Harry's.

"Like wise." AJ said, quickly studying the boy before her.

AJ looked at her friend, who looked back at her.

"**Good taste. Seems like he's in good shape. Have you seen him without the robes hiding his build body yet?"**

Mia shook her head slightly, looking out the window. AJ only chuckled, also looking out the opposite window. The two boys looked at the girls but decided not to question it as it might be just a girl thing.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	14. Chapter 14

**CrazyPiratelover:** I do feel love if instead of doing your homework, you're reading our story! Thank you so much, but finish your homework first! (But it's okay to sneak away to read a story once in a while.!)

**Chapter 14**

The carriage ride was spent in getting to know Ivan even more. The three Gryffindor's found out that Ivan was in Hufflepuff, he's sixteen, comes from Italy, and has an older sister that works in Romania with dragons. Mia and AJ told Ivan little of themselves, and Harry did not find out anything new of the two. Though he was still wondering of AJ's transformation and how he found him.

As soon as the castle came into view, both teen girls were in awe, both at it's beauty and size. The two older boys could only smile in amusement, not so much awe of the castle as they were used to it by now. Finally, the carriage came to a stop in front of the entrance, both girl's stomach filled with butterflies.

Ivan got off the carriage first, helping both girls off, Harry getting off last.

"Do we take our things?" AJ asked as both boys started to lead the way up the stairs.

"No, someone takes them to your dorm room you'll be staying in." Ivan explained before Harry could.

As the four teens entered the Great Hall, Ivan turned to Mia with a smile, bowing mockingly to her.

"It has been a great pleasure meeting you, my lady. I do hope we meet again."

Mia chuckled, bowing her head. "Aye, good sir. I hope the same."

Chuckling as will, Ivan told AJ and Harry goodbye before going over to the Hufflepuff table. AJ suddenly started to sneeze, the heavy magic hanging all around her, the people and air. Mia patted AJ's arm in sympathetically, knowing that her friend couldn't help it but smell the magic without warning.

"Harry!"

The three teens looked towards the direction of the voice to see Hermione waving a hand at him. Harry looked to the two girls.

"You guys can sit with us until you'll find some friends of your own."

"_Doubt it."_ Both girls thought, following Harry.

As the three teens grew closer to Hermione and Ron, the two girls noticed the force smile she put up when she saw them.

"Looks like we're not wanted." Mia whispered to AJ, who nodded in agreement.

"I don't know if I can go through this year, or classes, without sneezing so much!" AJ complained, scrunching her nose once and a while.

Mia looked at the corner of her eye to see a _very_ surprise Draco Malfoy.

"Someone's surprise to see Harry here." Mia said in a quiet sing song.

AJ frowned over to the mind reader, who smirked at her before slightly turning her head to see a scolding Draco. AJ smirked at her friend, who tried to hold back her smile. Harry sat on Hermione's right, as AJ sat next to him and Mia next to her and Neville.

"So when's the food coming?"

"I agree with AJ, I'm starving! They should have the feast first, sorting later!" Ron emphasized this further by holding his stomach.

Mia and Hermione rolled their eyes at their two friends as Harry could only chuckle.

"After the first years are sorted into a House, _than_ we can eat."

"And when does that going to happen?"

Just as those words left AJ's mouth, the whole Great Hall became deathly silent as McGonagall came through the open doors with a lot of scared eleven year olds lining behind her. The Transfiguration teacher held a hat, which both AJ and Mia remembered when they had to be sorted, and a stool in each of her hand. Once she reached the staff table, McGonagall put down the stool and the hat on top of it as the first years lined up left from right behind her. After sitting the hat on the stool, McGonagall stood back, and everyone waited.

The first years, as will as Mia and AJ, were surprise to see, and hear, the hat to start singing.

_In times of old when I was new_

_And Hogwarts barely started_

_The founders of our noble school_

_Thought never to be parted:_

_United by a common goal,_

_They had the selfsame yearning,_

_To make the world's best magic school_

_And pas along their learning._

'_Together we will build and teach!'_

_The four good friends decided_

_And never did they dream that they_

_Might someday be divided,_

_For were there such friends anywhere_

_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

_Unless it was the second pair_

_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_

_How could such friendships fail?_

Both Mia and AJ begun to get bored and just looked around the Great Hall, as they just noticed how different it really was but continued to listen to the song. Golden plates and goblets adorn the four tables, but each were all empty. The two suddenly looked up and both broke out a smile as they saw the floating candles above the tables, as the sky was dark and sprinkled with stars as though the room did not have a roof.

_Why I was there and so can tell_

_The whole sad, sorry tale._

_Said Slytherin, 'We'll teach jus those_

_Whose ancestry is purest.'_

_Said Ravenclaw, 'We'll tech those whose_

_Intelligence is surest.'_

_Said Gryffindor, 'We'll teach al those_

_With brave deeds to their name,'_

_Said Hufflepuff, 'I'll teach the lot,_

_And treat them just the same.'_

_These differences caused little strife_

_When first they came to light,_

_For each of the four founders had_

_A House in which they might_

_Take only those they wanted, so,_

_For instance, Slytherin_

_Took only pure-blood wizards_

_Of great cunning, just like him,_

_And only those of sharpest mind_

_Were taught by Ravenclaw_

_While the bravest and the boldest_

_Went to daring Gryffindor._

_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,_

_And taught them all she knew,_

_Thus the Houses and their founders_

_Retained friendships firm and true._

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

_For several happy years,_

_But then discord crept among us_

_Feeding our faults and fears._

_The Houses that, like pillars four,_

_Had once held up our school,_

_Now turned upon each other and,_

_Divided, sought to rule._

_And for a while it seemed the school_

_Must meet an early end,_

"The song is the same as last years. Nothing new." Hermione observed quietly, getting Ron and Harry's attention, as will as Mia and AJ's.

"You think that the hat has finally given up on making a new song?" Ron suggested with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Or the song is still the same because the goal of the message is yet to be accomplished." Hermione looked to both Ron and Harry.

Harry scoffed at this, shaking his head. "We'll never get along with the Slytherin's, no matter _how_ long we've been here or when we're going into war. All their parents are probably Death Eaters anyways."

Mia and AJ looked at one another, each wondering what kind of rivalry they have entered in without knowing.

_What with dueling and with fighting_

_And the clash of friend on friend_

_And at last there came a morning_

_When old Slytherin departed_

_And though the fighting then died out_

_He left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_

_Were whittled down to three_

_Have the Houses been united_

_AS they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here_

_And you all know the score:_

_I sort you into Houses_

_Because that is what I'm for,_

_But this year I'll go further,_

_Listen closely to my song:_

_Though condemned I am to split you_

_Still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfill my duty_

_And must quarter every year_

_Still I wonder whether sorting_

_May not bring the end I fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

_The warning history shows,_

_For our Hogwarts is in danger_

_From external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_

_Or we'll crumble from within._

_I have told you, I have warned you…_

_Let the Sorting now begin._

The Hall broke out with applause, but was quickly quieted down when McGonagall walked next to the stool and unrolled a parchment.

"Abbot, Serena."

"Do you really think we're doing the right thing?" Mia asked in a whisper to her friend.

The two girls put their heads close to each other so as to not let anyone know what they were talking about.

"Coming here and protecting," Mia trailed off but nodded over to Harry.

"I don't know yet. I'm still confused about everything." AJ smirked to her friend, her different color eyes twinkling with a bit of mischief. "Maybe we should have asked for money."

Mia snorted but quickly covered her mouth as she tried hard not to laugh out loud. She bowed her head, as everyone who heard the low snort turned to her. AJ held back her own laughter, elbowing the mind reader. Calming down, Mia wiped the tears that fell down her cheek that have formed from holding in her laughter.

"I think you're right. What the hell are we, will _you_ actually, are getting out of this whole thing."

The shape shifter only shrugged her shoulders. Harry nudges her side, making AJ look to him question-ly.

"What was so funny?"

AJ shook her head. "Inside joke, plus, it's a girl thing."

AJ smiled at the confused look Harry had. But he nodded and decided not to ask anymore, not really wanting to know. AJ spaces out, as usual, while Mia just put her head on in her hand, trying her hardest not to fall asleep. As soon as the Sorting was over, both girls sighed in relief as they were both hungry.

Dumbledore stood up, smiling at everyone as he covered his blacken hand with his long sleeve. "Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. We have two transfer students from _Salem Witch Academy_ from America. (Both AJ and Mia arched an eyebrow, quickly looking at one another) They have all ready been sorted into the Gryffindor House, and I do hope that you will all make them feel welcome." He nodded to the two girls.

Everyone around Mia and AJ started shaking hands with them and saying hello and welcome.

"Now, tuck in!"

Both Mia and AJ were amazed to see food appeared out of thin air. But their shock quickly passed over as their hunger took over. The two teens started to get some food, only getting what was familiar to them. Harry, Hermione, and Ron suddenly turned to them, a bit surprise.

"You didn't tell us that you two came from the _Salem Witch Academy_!"

"Um… We…" Mia trailed off, frowning in confusion.

"…Didn't know?" AJ finished with a questioning confusion.

The trio all frowned, wondering what was going on. Why did Mia and AJ _really_ come to England and to this school? What has happened to them to leave America? What happened to their parents? Those questions ran through their minds, as they continue to eat.

Both Mia and AJ just looked at one another, wondering what they should do to keep their past hidden. The dinner went by quickly, with some scares and laughs from the two girls as Nearly Headless Nick introduce himself by appearing in the mash potatoes AJ was about to get. The desert as went by quickly, nothing really interesting coming from it. Soon, everyone found themselves silent and watching Dumbledore, who was standing, to start his famous speech for the start of term, covering his blacken hand once more as all the students saw it this time.

"The very best of evenings to you!" Dumbledore said, smiling broadly at them all. "Nothing to worry about. Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you…"

The rest Mia and AJ couldn't hear as Harry started talking with his two best friends.

"His hand was like that when I saw him over the summer. I thought he'd have cured it by now, though… or Madam Pomfrey would've done."

"It looks as if it's died." Hermione said with a nauseated expression. "But there are some injuries you can't cure… old curses… and there are poisons without antidotes.."

"Shhh!" Both Mia and AJ glared at them, before looking back up at Dumbledore.

"… and Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called _Weasley's Wizard Wheezes_. Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise." AJ looked to Mia with a smile, which Mia understood as she was going to give her name for Quidditch. "We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn," Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waistcoated belly casting the table below into shadow. "Is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

"_Potions?_"

The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered whether they had heard right.

"Potions?" Ron and Hermione said in unison, turning to stare at Harry. "But you said-"

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," Dumbledore continued, raising his voice so that he could be heard all over the muttering, which started to quiet down. "Will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry said so loudly that many heads turned in his direction.

Both teens that were new to this school, and did not know the history, looked around the table, and Hall besides the Slytherin table, to see that many students did not like the decision of this person to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Mia and AJ turned to the staff table to see a paled man with chin-length, black greasy hair raise a lazy hand to identify who he was.

"Well, there's one good thing," Harry's voice brought Mia and AJ to turn to him. "Snape'll be gone by the end of the year."

"What do you mean?" Ron, Mia, and AJ asked confused.

Harry looked to the girls than back to his best friend. "That job's jinxed. No one's lasted more than a year… Quirrell actually died doing it ("_What?_" AJ and Mia asked in disbelief)… Personally, I'm going to keep my fingers crossed for another death…"

"Harry!" Hermione said shocked and reproachful.

"Just because you hate – _no_, let me rephrase that! _Loathe_ the guy, doesn't give you the right to hope, or wish, he _dies_!" Mia said with her eyebrows furrowed together in disbelieve.

"You don't understand though!" Harry said, shaking his own head.

"_Try me_!" Mia said with a tone of challenge and attitude behind it.

"He might just go back to teaching Potions at the end of the year." Ron said, cutting in quickly, not wanting to see what might happen if the two start arguing right there and then. "That Slughorn bloke might not want to stay long-term. Moody didn't."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. Everyone in the whole Hall had erupted in a buzz of conversation at this news. Dumbledore didn't same more of staff positions, but waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.

"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

Mia and AJ looked at each other, that person's name continued to come up wherever they went. And now the two girls knew that they seriously needed to speak to Dumbledore of who this man is what _exactly_ he has done, or about to do.

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them – in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and other's safety."

Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he landed on mostly Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The two girls got a suspicion look and feeling that they were the ones who usually didn't go to a staff. Than the old wizard smiled.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. (AJ snorted at this, getting a few heads turn to her. Harry and Dumbledore smiled at her, as AJ blushed a bit from being caught.) Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

Both AJ and Mia started to laugh at the last words Dumbledore said. But it was covered by the noise of scraping chairs being pushed back. Just like Harry, neither AJ nor Mia were in a hurry to leave with the crowd, and because they didn't know where to go. So they waited for Harry who was pretending to tie his shoelaces. Hermione and Ron darted to shepherd the first years to the Tower, Ron actually being drag by Hermione.

"Thanks for waiting." Harry said as he stood and started to lead the way to the Tower.

"No problem." AJ smiled.

"And we kinda didn't know where we were suppose to go." Mia said shyly, biting her lower lip.

Harry laughed. "Don't worry about it, I'm not mad. Come on."

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The two wandless witches' were surprise, to say the least, of all the moving pictures. Many mistaking Mia to be Karya, and many knowing who, or what AJ really was, were glad to have another one back within the Hogwart's walls. Harry questioned this but AJ just simply waved it off saying she didn't know and was just going along with what they were saying.

As they entered the Gryffindor Common room, Mia and AJ could only stare and smile. This was going to be interesting (and fun) for them, and the student's at this school don't know exactly what has hit them with the two friends and the use of wandless magic.

McGonagall was there to meet and show the girls to their room. AJ and Mia bid goodnight to Harry, as it was late and they had to wake early the next morning, and followed the Transfiguration teacher. They walked up the stairs and across the fifth door was another one. McGonagall opened it and entered with the girls following.

"This will be your room. There weren't enough room in the regular fifth year dorm, so Dumbledore made another one. Knowing that you two would have liked some privacy." She pointedly looked to AJ, who could only smile at her. "Will, good night, and I will see you tomorrow morning when I pass your class schedules to you."

And she walked out, closing the door. Mia turned around to see each of their trunks in front of a four poster bed, Anubis curled up on AJ's bed, and Harmony perched next to the windowsill.

"Are you going to leave again tonight?" Mia questioned, walking over to her bed on the left and jumping on it backwards.

"Of course. I could probably hang out with Harmony, if she lets me." AJ said, walking over to her bed and sitting down, stroking Anubis' fur.

"When do you want to talk with Mr. Dumbledore?" Mia questioned tiredly, but she made no move to go and get undress.

"I don't know. But we _have_ to find out what the heck's going on and what (and why) he's not telling us!"

"I was hoping in asking Mr. Lupin, but I didn't want to say anything on Harry's birthday, and he never returned to the Weasley's house afterwards." Mia sat up on her elbows and looked to her left to her friend with concern in her eyes. "You don't think something's happened to him, do you?"

AJ shook her head. "I seriously don't know. But we'll ask the old guy when we get the chance." AJ titled her head, a small smile on her lips. "You took a liking to him, didn't you?"

Mia furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Who?"

"_Mr. Lupin_." AJ mimicked her friend.

Mia's lips twitched to a smirk. "He's a nice man and person. But there was something different about him."

AJ nodded. "He's a Werewolf."

Mia looked to her friend. "How'd you? – never mind." Mia said as AJ patted her nose with her left forefinger.

Mia laid back down, closing her eyes. For some reason, she was deadly tired and wanted nothing more but to sleep.

"Are you going to leave any time soon, or are you going to wait for everyone to go to sleep?" Mia murmured, but knew her friend would hear her.

"I'll leave now."

"Okay, _be careful_ to not fall into anything with _water_!" AJ made a face to her friend although Mia couldn't see it. "And wake me up a half hour after sunrise."

"Okay. Be back soon."

AJ transformed into an owl and, with Harmony, both flew out of the window. Anubis meowed and went over to Mia, who looked at the cat tiredly.

"No offense, but I don't like cats." Anubis titled his head to the side, Mia sighing. "But I guess I can make an acceptation."

Anubis purred and curled up on top of Mia, who fell asleep, still with her legs hanging over the side of her bed.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

AJ and Harmony flew through the crisp, fall night air. Well, Harmony landed gracefully on a branch, while AJ soared upwards, then tucked her wings in and plummeted back down to earth.

"Calm down, shape shifter." The owl commanded in an annoyed tone of voice.

"I can't!" AJ shouted, jumping down to the ground and morphing into herself once more. "Do you have any idea how good it feels to even feel relatively free?"

Harmony rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze over to an approaching snowy owl.

"Who're you?" Harmony questioned.

"Hedwig at your service." The snowy owl replied. "My master goes to Hogwarts."

"As does mine." Harmony replied, looking on the ground for something to eat.

"I'm my own master," AJ stated, shifting back into a black and pink owl. "I'm also a student there, I'm just…" the shape shifter never got to finish as Harmony interrupted her.

"You do know that some of us are out here to hunt, right?"

"Oh, I see. Will some one then, I'll race you."

AJ leapt into the air and began to head away from the school, with Hedwig and a reluctant Harmony.

454545454545454545

It was around six thirty in the morning. Mia shifted slightly on her bed, causing Anubis to wake up and meow at her.

"Good morning," The mind reader said groggily as she opened her eyes. Anubis began purring and licked her face, making Mia giggle. "Alright, alright, I'm up."

She sat up in bed only to see AJ's form sprawled over her own bed, snoring lightly. Mia looked out the window to see the sun half over the horizon.

"You're gonna be late." Mia stated to her friends sleeping form as she grabbed a few things out of her trunk so she could take a shower before class.

AJ didn't make any signs of hearing Mia as she continued to sleep.

454545454545454545

Mia was among the few to get to breakfast early. She was eating a piece of toast when Ivan came over to her.

"And how did the lady sleep last night?" He joked, bowing slightly before sitting down beside her.

"Very well, good sir." Mia replied in an airy accent.

"Where's your friend, the one with weird eyes and hair – AJ I think her name was." Ivan questioned, looking around the nearly empty hall.

As a response to his question, Mia pointed to the doors where AJ had just burst through, her hair still wet and her robes open, exposing her uniform.

"You didn't wake me up!" The shape shifter scolded as she took her spot next to Mia. "Hello Ivan, what're you doing here?"

"I was just talking to Mia, I should go though." Ivan replied, getting up, AJ taking his spot. "I shall see you later, milady."

Once he was gone, Mia burst out laughing and nearly choked on her toast. "You looked so innocent as you slept, I couldn't bear to wake you."

AJ rolled her eyes and began to eat the food that had appeared on her plate, muttering a few inaudible words under her breath.

"You do know that there is a drying spell, right AJ?" Hermione questioned as she sat down beside Mia with Ron and Harry following suit.

"Yes, but I can't remember it." AJ replied sweetly, trying not to show her annoyance. "Does it look like my mind is an open book, and don't answer that question Mia."

The mind reader laughed, but stopped as she saw something on AJ's right temple, under a thick blanket of wet black hair.

"What happened to you… again?" Mia demanded, pointing to AJ's forehead.

The trio looked at an enraged Mia and a guilty looking AJ.

"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked slowly, wondering if he should get in the way of Mia's temper, which could get worse than his mother's at times.

AJ glared at Mia as she felt her poking around in her head. "Get out of my head before I put a curse on you." She muttered, making sure that the others didn't hear her.

The shape shifter reached her hand up to scratch her head, but when her hand came down, her fingertips were covered in blood! AJ just stared at it as if she was trying to recite a spell, but it wouldn't work.

"What did happen to you?" Mia demanded.

AJ gave a small gesture to her head, signaling her to read her mind.

"**While I was out last night, I got attacked."**

Mia's eyes went wide. "By what?" She murmured, trying not to let the others hear.

"**By another animal, I couldn't remember the healing spell I used on Harry yesterday."**

Mia sighed in relief and went back to eating her breakfast, while AJ thought of the spell.

"You know, you two are going to get points taken off for wearing your robes opened like that!" Hermione said, glaring at them.

Both girls rolled their eyes, Mia answering for the two of them. "And like AJ said back in the train, I doubt Dumbledore, or any other teacher for that matter, would care how we're dressed." Mia smiled sweetly before putting in a piece of bacon in her mouth.

Soon little by little, the Great Hall became more crowded with students who wanted to eat breakfast and get their schedules. As soon as breakfast was finished, McGonagall started to pass out the students schedules.

"Here you are Jasmine, your schedule for the year." McGonagall handed the girl a piece of parchment with the name of classes and the teachers who would be teaching it.

"Thanks, and I would also like to try out for the Gryffindor team."

McGonagall nodded. "Very well, I will put down your name with the others." She turned to Mia. "Skye, here is your schedule. Because you are here on the request of Miss Jasmine, you would be having the same classes as her." McGonagall handed the girl the same piece of parchment with the classes and teachers.

Mia was crestfallen that Dumbledore decided to not notice her knowledge and somewhat thrive to learn this new sort of magic. McGonagall smiled sympathetically at the girl before turning to another student. Mia turned to her friend, putting up a fake smile, which AJ saw through it but did not want to depress the girl anymore.

"So what's first?" AJ asked as both girls absent mind-ly walked past the students in line, looking down at their schedules.

"History of Magic." Mia answered, looking up just in time to stop herself from bumping into someone. "Sorry." She said before walking after her friend who didn't stop for her.

454545454545454545

Professor Binns, to say the least, was _very_ boring for the two new young witches. For the first half hour, they played and tricked minds of both the students and ghost teacher, trying not to laugh or get caught. For the second half hour, both girls were in deep sleep, but light enough to know when the bell had rung for them to leave as quickly as possible. Next was Divinations, and a strange hour it was for both girls.

Mia and AJ sat at the table near the entrance, the same one Harry and Ron occupied their previous year. Mia was looking into the crystal ball, seeing nothing but either fogginess or a clear ball. AJ, on the other hand, was reading her book under the table. She was at the last page, an eyebrow raise as to what she was reading.

"Hmm."

Mia looked up at her friend, giving up on trying to see what the crystal ball held. "What's up?"

"This sounds _very_ interesting. Listen, _'Say it once, if you must. Say it once, if you need to know. Say it once, so you may know. Know what is to come in the later future.'_ Now _that_ sounds a _lot_ more interesting than this crap she's teaching us." AJ said, nodding over to Professor Trelawney.

Mia smirked, nodding in agreement. "So what is it that you have to say 'only once'?"

AJ looked down in the middle of the page she was reading from. "_'Open up me third eye, open it up wide. Let me see that which I desire to know. Let me see what the future holds. Let me inner sight grow far and wide to retrieve that which I need to see. My inner sight, which I desperately need.'_"

Both Mia and AJ looked around, waiting for some kind of signal or wind or sparkling lights. Nothing came. Looking at each other with a raised eyebrow, neither girl knew what to say.

"Will…" Mia trailed off, her eyes landing on the crystal ball. She nodded to it, looking back up to her friend. "See if you can see into the crystal ball."

AJ shrugged, not really hurting to try it. Closing her book, the shape shifter moved her face close to the ball and stared into it's foggy emptiness. Black figures moving around was seen but it wasn't clear enough for AJ to make it out.

"Do you see that?" AJ asked, frowning.

"See what?" Mia asked, looking around the crystal ball but seeing nothing.

The figures disappeared, AJ frowning. She shook her head, taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"Never mind, it was probably my mind playing tricks." As the shape shifter sat back in her chair, the bell rang. "Ahh! Sweet freedom!" AJ joked, stretching her limbs before standing up.

She and Mia walked out of the tower and towards the stairs. Both teens leaned over the edge and looked down. The tower was at least in the seventh level and the line to go downstairs was taking a long time as other students tried to go up as well. Both girls looked at each other than at the railing. They both smirked, as they looked at each other once more with a mischief glint in their eyes.

AJ was the first to get near the first step and sat on the railing, her feet dangling to the left side so she wouldn't hit the other students on her way down. Mia soon than followed, copying the shape shifter in the sitting position.

The other students laughed at them, yet cheered them on as they never seen anyone do such a thing before. Towards the ending of the railing, both girls jumped off, turning to the students and bowing before walking away. Ginny shook her head, glaring at them.

"Now that was bloody brilliant!" A Ravenclaw boy said to his friend, smiling.

454545454545454545

AJ and Mia quickly entered the Gryffindor Tower to gather their books for their next class.

"Hey AJ, can I talk to you real quick?"

The two girls turned around to see Harry walking towards them. Mia leaned near AJ, whispering into her ear.

"He wants to talk about the accident on the train."

"Uh-oh." AJ whispered, Mia nodding.

"I'll go get the books." Mia smiled at Harry before walking towards the stairs.

"Bring my book also." AJ yelled after the mind reader before she disappeared up the stairs. The shape shifter turned to Harry. "What's up?"

Harry looked around before taking AJ's upper arm and moving her towards a corner so no one can hear them.

"I want to the truth about how you'd you now where to find me and how did you transform. And not to mention how'd you heal my broken nose without a wand?"

AJ chuckled nervously, feeling two other pair of eyes on her. "Um… Hehe, see, that's… Uh…"

"_Could you hurry up Mia?"_ AJ thought desperately.

454545454545454545

Mia gathered the books, and AJ's spell of books and potions. The mind reader put her books into her bag when she heard AJ's desperate call.

"_Could you hurry up Mia?"_

Hurrying shouldering her bag, Mia held AJ's books and quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs. At the base of the steps, Mia looked around for her friend and Harry, finally locating them by the corner at her left. Mia was about to walk forward when Ron and Hermione walked in front of her, blocking her.

"How is it possible for AJ to heal a broken nose without using her wand?" Hermione asked, straight to the point.

Mia raised an eyebrow. "I don't know what you mean."

Mia tried to walk past them but Hermione didn't let her.

"Yes you do! Who, or _what_, are you two really? Why did you really come to Hogwarts for?"

Mia's patient was running thin and before she knew it, everyone in the common room all gasped, yelled, or shrieked. Mia, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and AJ all turned around to see the windows covered in ice, icicles pointing towards the inside of the room. Mia turned to AJ in panic and quickly ran past Ron and Hermione. AJ ran after her friend, wondering what happened.

When the portrait hole shut behind the two girls, the ice disappeared as though it was never really there. Everyone wondered what happened, as who caused such a thing to the windows.

454545454545454545

Mia and AJ walked down the stairs to the dungeons, not saying a word. AJ looked over to her friend at the corner of her eyes every two minutes, to see Mia distracted in deep thought. When the two girls neared the Potions classroom, AJ grabbed Mia's arm, stopping her, and turning her around so Mia could face her.

"Mia, what happened back there?" AJ asked with much concern.

Mia shook her head, too distracted to know where she was at, at the moment. "I-I don't know! I mean, I never really could control the ice element," Mia frowned in thought. "But I knew I had it whenever someone was annoying me or my patients with a person ran so thin that I just… _couldn't take it anymore_."

The bell rang and both girls ran into the opened door before it closed behind them. They looked to the Professor, who had a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry Professor," AJ started.

"We got lost." Mia finished as they made their way to the unoccupied table in the back.

"And your names would be…?" Slughorn asked.

"AJ." AJ said simply.

"Mia Justine Skye sir." Mia answered him, her and AJ sitting down.

Slughorn suddenly smiled. "Ah yes, the transfer students. Quiet all right that you're late. But I do hope that you now know your way down here?" Both girls nodded as Mia took out her book. "Good, now we can get started."

Mia and AJ looked around the room, which was filled with odd odors, vapors with some smoke coming out.

"Welcome to fifth years Potions. I am Professor Slughorn, and today we will take it easy." He smiled at them. "Now then, scales out, everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of _Potion-Making_." Slughorn waited as the students took out the things he wanted out. "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know, from where you all stand. These are the kind of things you ought to be able to do at the moment. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"

Mia and AJ drowned out the rest of the speech as AJ opened her book and begun to flip through the pages.

"Whatcha lookin' for?" Mia asked, leaning close to her friend but trying to not to make it so obvious.

"I found a way for Anubis to come with me at night." AJ whispered back. "I remember reading about it in the train. It gives the owner who drinks it wings."

"And now you're going to steal the ingredients from here?" Mia smirked. "And I thought you were such a good girl."

AJ smiled innocently. "Oh, but I am. I'm just _borrowing_ the ingredients."

Mia laughed quietly, before a certain thought entered her mind

"**What are those two doing? I know it has to do with something with Harry, Hermione told me what happened."**

Mia smirked, looking up at Ginny, startling her before she turned to face Slughorn.

"Looks like we have a curious, and smart, redhead on our hands." Mia tilted her head to AJ, who raised a curious eyebrow. Mia rolled her eyes. "Ginny Weasley."

AJ's mouth took an 'o' shaped. "Ooh." She shrugged her shoulders. "I can always erase her memory of what she knows about us."

"So, how are you to win my fabulous prize?" said Slughorn, gathering the two girl's attention. "Well, by turning to page thirty of _Potion-Making_. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Drought of Peace, as it will be coming up for your O.W.L. Does anyone know what this potion does?"

Several hands went up, including Mia's. Slughorn smiled, wanting to know exactly what the school of _Salem Witch Academy_ taught their students.

"Miss Skye, was it?"

Mia nodded, "yes sir. This potion is to calm anxiety and soothe agitation on a person, or some kind of animal. But if you are too heavy with the ingredients, you will put the drinker into a heavy, and sometimes, irreversible sleep."

Slughorn beamed at the girl. "Exactly, ten points for Gryffindor. Yes, like Miss Skye has informed us, we can put the drinker into an irreversible sleep, so be careful to what you are doing and pay close attention to the instructions. The person who does best, however, will win the Felix here. Off you go!"

AJ raised an eyebrow at the girl. "What's the Felix?"

"Felix Felicis, it's liquid luck that makes you lucky. It's very tricky to make and dangerous if you get it wrong. But you never want to make too much of it as it's highly toxic in large quantities. One tiny bottle like that on his desk is enough to give you… twelve hours of luck."

AJ raised her eyebrows, a smirk playing her lips. "I've _got_ to win that potion."

Mia rolled her eyes, standing up. "I'll get the ingredients; you just sit there and look over the ingredients you have to steal until I get back."

AJ rolled her own eyes, scanning the page that gave the drinker wings and started to memorize the ingredients over in her head. Not ten minutes did Mia return with arms full of ingredients. She placed one set with twice the amount near her book and the other next to AJ.

"Those are for the drinker to get wings." Mia replied to the raised eyebrow of her friends.

AJ smirked, as she closed and put her book on her lap before separating the ingredients. "You didn't have to do that, you know?"

Mia smiled, handing the shape shifter a black marker. "I know, but it's better than waiting for everyone to leave. The cabinet will just be locked up."

"True." AJ answered, taking out several plastic bags and begun to name each one before putting in the ingredient.

Once that was done, AJ opened her potion's book and looked over the instructions and frowned.

"These are wrong."

"How so?" Mia asked, looking up at her friend before she put in any of the ingredients into her cauldron.

"I don't know, I can just tell." AJ said in deep thought.

Shaking her head, AJ grabbed her book and begin to flip through it once more. While at the same time, the shape shifter pushed an empty stool between her and Mia with her foot.

"We should do this out of _my_ book."

"How'd you know that it's the same potion?" Mia asked, her eyebrows furrowed together.

"Because I have a potion in here to make someone go to sleep." AJ briefly looked up, smiling, before looking through her book once more. "Here we are."

AJ placed the book on top of the stool and pushed it under the desk so no one can see it but them. Mia shrugged and decided to just go along with it. It took only half an hour to finish the drought. Less time than it should be finished if someone was reading out of the Potion's book.

Slughorn walked over to the girls, looking at their finished cauldron's with an expressionless face. AJ slightly kicked Mia, a sign the mind reader knows all too well.

"**My word! These two girls have such great talent! Finished in half the time they're supposed to _and_ it's correct."**

Mia looked at AJ with a smile, just as Slughorn smiled at them at the same time.

"Look at this everybody." The whole class turned to the two girls. "These two young ladies have finished the drought in half the time they're suppose to, while it being both correct!" Slughorn was beaming happily, not able to contain his eagerness. "Who are your parents?" Slughorn asked a bit too excited.

Mia and AJ looked at each other with a worried look than back to Slughorn. "Um…"

"We're Muggle-born!" Mia blurted out, remembering it was the same thing she told the teens back at the Burrow.

"Yeah, so we couldn't possibly have parents here." AJ chuckled nervously, also remembering.

Slughorn was in awe. "Muggle-born and perfects at potion making! The _Salem Witch Academy_ must be at a high level of magic over there in America."

"Um, yeah." AJ nodded, not knowing what else to say to the man.

"Will, put some drought into a vile, put your names on it, of course, and set it on my desk. We shall wait until the end of class to see who will get my prize." And Slughorn walked away.

Mia and AJ did what they were told. Once they set the full vile on Slughorn's desk, the two girls begun to clean their area. AJ begun to doze off as Mia just wrote in her notebook, her head in her left palm. It was like that for the rest of the half hour, until Slughorn's voice brought everyone's attention once more.

"And time's…. up! Stop stirring please."

Slughorn walked about the classroom, checking everyone's cauldron. He grimaced at most of them, some nods to the head, or a smile and a compliment if he knew the student's some sort of relative. Slughorn stood at the front of the desk, smiling as though it was Christmas morning all ready.

"Well, there was some good potion brewing, but not so much as your two lovely new students. Miss Skye, Miss AJ, it seems that I have no choice but to give each of you a bottle." Mia and AJ gave each other a low five under the table, a smirk on each of their faces. "And I must say, that the _Salem Witch Academy_ has some high priorities there for American witches and wizards."

Smiling widely, Slughorn walked towards the two and handed each of them a small vile of the golden liquid. Both Mia and AJ put the vile inside their pockets of their pants and stood up just as Slughorn dismissed them all. AJ quickly picked up her book with the _Potion-Making_ on top of it and followed her friend out of the dungeons.

454545454545454545

Mia and AJ had just made it to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class as they were trying to avoid being seen by Harry and his friends. They made their way towards the back of the dark room, which was full off dark moving pictures of animals, bodies ripped apart, and people in pain. The only light source was the many lit candles around the room, but even that wasn't bright enough for anyone to see much.

Once the two teens seated, the same greasy, dark hair man they saw in the feast last night looked around the room. His eyes, however, stayed longer on AJ and Mia, a sneer that could have been passed as a smile appearing on his face. He walked slowly towards them, both girls arching an eyebrow at him. AJ leaned back in her chair, arms cross over her chest, as Mia had her arms folded on her desk, leaning back as he gets closer.

"It seems to me that you two do not know our rules of fashion." Snape told them, an eyebrow slowly rising.

Mia and AJ looked at each other before looking back at the Professor. Snape's feature was suddenly that of curious after the look the teens gave each other.

"Twenty points off of Gryffindor for failing to follow the clothing rule."

All the Gryffindor's glared at the girls, as Snape looked smug about taking points off of them. AJ uncrossed her arms and slowly stood up, just reaching the man's nose.

"_We_ don't have to follow the rule, you know." AJ said in a low and dangerous growl.

Snape narrowed his eyes at the girl. "Ten more points for talking _without_ permission."

AJ slammed her palms on her desk. "You taking points off won't be affected! Just go look at the thing that keeps score of this!" AJ yelled, frustrated with the man.

"Twenty more points for yelling!" Snape said in a dangerously low voice.

"I'm not afraid of you! You-"

Mia quickly jumped up to her feet, her chair scraping back as she grabbed AJ's arm, talking to her lowly. "AJ! Keep cool! He ain't worthy it until the time comes."

"How sweet," Snape sneered at them. "You have yourself a little side kick to help you out of trouble. Sit down and shut your mouths unless you want me to take off more points."

Snape turned and walked towards the front of the room, his robes billowing behind him. Mia, mad at the professor for saying such a thing about her, quickly turned around, a ball of ice with icicles coming out in every direction appeared in her right palm. AJ sees this and quickly grab's Mia's left upper arm.

"Calm down. Like you said, he isn't worth it until the time comes!" The shape shifter said in a whisper.

Taking a deep breath, Mia calmed down, the ice of icicles disappearing just as Snape turned around. The three of them glaring at each other, Mia and AJ sat down, both leaning back in their chairs with their arms crossed over their chest. Mia pushed her chair until she was on it's back legs, while AJ put her feet up on the desk, both looking bored all ready.

"_This was going to be a **long** hour."_ Both girls thought, never ceasing their glaring.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it! Oh, andwe won't update until we get more reviews! It doesn't matter what it is says (as long as it's not a flame), it could say two words or one, it doesn't matter. Just review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Those who have been here from the first year should know you have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe. Now, naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities."

AJ raised an eyebrow, looking over to her friend, who also had an eyebrow raised. Shaking her head, Mia quietly sighed and looked up at the ceiling. AJ closed her own eyes, feeling drowsiness taking hold of her.

"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal." Snape continued on, not noticing the two teens.

Knowing that one of them should be paying attention, Mia looked over to the professor, mentally taking notes.

"Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck…"

"**Can this guy be any more boring?"**

Mia looked to her friend, holding back a smile. The mind reader flipped her notebook to the back and started to write something. She than held it up behind a tall guy in front of her to hide it from view.

'_It seems to me that this teacher LOVES the Dark Arts from just the way he's talking about them.'_ AJ read from the note. She nodded in agreement, looking over to Professor Snape.

"These pictures give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the _Cruciatus Curse_," Snape waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony. "Feel the Dementor's Kiss," he waved to a wizard lying huddled and blanked-eyed, slumped against a wall. "Or provoke the aggression of the _Inferus_," he waved lastly to a bloody mass upon the ground.

Mia made a face to all of the pictures and turned away from them, AJ just turned away, not wanting to see any of them.

"Now you are, I believe, how to use nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"

No one's hand went up. Snape looked around the room, a look upon his face that said he disapproved of such teaching. But before he could comment on it, Mia raised her hand.

Snape smirked. "Well, let us see what they teach over at _Salem Witch Academy_. Miss Skye?"

"Your opponent has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform. Giving you split-second advantage."

Snape curled up his lip to a sneer. "Correct. Those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting." Snape than smirked towards AJ. "Of course, not _all_ wizards can do this," AJ raised an eyebrow, narrowing his eyes. "It is a question of concentration and mind power which some _lack_."

Snape quickly gazed over the students before going on. "You will now divide into pairs. One partner will attempt to jinx the other _without speaking_. The other will attempt to jinx _in equal silence_. Carry on."

AJ and Mia paired up and gave each other a good distance in between them.

"Ready?" AJ asked.

"Sure, why not."

Both girls smirked before counting to three. They waved their wands, throwing a jinx at each other. Their spells canceled each other out in the middle, sparks appearing. From the corner of their eyes they could see Snape give a sneer at their direction, making the girl's smirk widen.

454545454545454545

Finally, Defense Against the Dark Arts finished and it was time for lunch.

"That teach was a…" AJ huffed, not able to say it.

"I know, but at least we showed him today."

AJ laughed, "that's true."

"Who'd you guys show today?"

Both girls rolled their eyes before forcing a smile and turning around to see Hermione, Ron, and Harry.

"That Dark Arts teacher." AJ told her.

The group of trio were taken back, their eyes wide in shock and horror. Hermione was the first to recover.

"What did you two _do_? He didn't take points off did he?"

Mia nodded. "Oh yeah, he did. About fifty points he took from us. Forty coming from AJ, ten from me."

Hermione looked as though she was to have a heart attack so Mia quickly interrupted her before she could start yelling and making a scene.

"But the points won't be counted for. We've told you that all ready."

Ron and Harry frowned. "How come?" Ron questioned.

"AJ! Skye!"

Everyone turned to see a seething Professor Snape. "How is it possible for you two to _not_ be rid of points?" Snape almost shouted.

AJ and Mia smirked before turning their backs at everyone and walking towards the Great Hall for lunch. Everyone begun to mutter to their neighbors of the two walking away from Professor Snape, who no one has ever had the courage to do before.

"Is there something wrong, Professor Snape?" Dumbledore asked from behind the Dark Arts teacher.

Snape turned around. "Yes, there is. Those two new girls have talked back to me and have their robes _wide open_! Now I have taken fifty points off of Gryffindor, but it does not show upon the hourglass. Why is that?" Snape almost shouted.

Albus stayed as calm as he could, smiling at the outrage professor. "They way of American life is far by different than that of our life, and they tend to do things a bit differently. For example, the robes. Some of the wizarding schools in America do _not_ have to wear school robes."

"Lucky them." Some of the students muttered.

"So Miss Jasmine and Miss Skye do not get points taken off because they have them open. But," Albus looked at the students around them, smiling. "The rest of you do."

The students all groaned, walking towards the Great Hall for lunch.

"But what of the points I took off for talking back to me?" Snape demanded.

Albus smiled. "I have no idea. Perhaps you did not _mean_ to take points off for a student speaking out her or his mind?"

Smiling, the old wizard walked away, leaving a fuming professor. Harry looked to his friends before they all hurried to find the two teen girls. The entered the hall and immediately saw the girls eating on the right side of the Gryffindor table. The trio walked towards the middle of the table and sat across from them, talking at the same time.

"Why are you really here?"

"Did you really talk back to Snape?"

"Did you use your book to stop taking points off?"

AJ held up a hand to stop them from asking any more questions. "We're here because we wanted to come to the best wizarding school. Yes, I really talked back to Snape. And _no_ I did not use my book to stop points from being taken off." AJ sighed, answering them all in one breath. "Now… can I finish eating please? I'm starving."

The three friends looked over to Mia for any more explanations. But the mind reader only continued to eat slowly, never even have paid attention to them or the conversation. She went to grab her goblet but stopped as she finally noticed the stares.

"What?"

"Did you talk back to Snape?" Ron wanted to know.

"She almost iced him." AJ muttered so only Mia heard.

Mia glared at AJ, answering Ron's question. "No."

Mia took a drink from her orange juice. When she put down her goblet, the trio continued to stare at her.

"There's nothing else to explain! AJ told you everything." Mia shook her head, continuing to eat her lunch.

"My lady, how do you fair on this hour of the day?" Ivan asked, sitting across from Mia.

Mia smiled, taking a quick swig of her drink before answering. "I fair well, my lord. What of ye?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Ron asked confused.

Mia and Ivan laughed, confusing Ron even more.

"It's Shakespeare Ron." Hermione told him.

"What's Shakespeare?" Ron questioned.

"I'm fine. How'd your fist classes go?" Ivan asked, talking normally.

Mia shrugged. "Okay, I guess." The mind reader eyed him, smirking sheepishly. "You heard about the Snape thing, huh?"

Ivan smiled that made Mia's stomach flip around and blush lightly. "I think that the whole school knows about it!"

"Hey Ivan!"

Ivan looked back to see his friends and smiled once more at Mia, as he stood up. "I'll talk to you later." He bowed. "My lady."

Mia smiled shyly. "My lord, may ye have a fine day."

Ivan walked away, Mia shaking her head.

"**Oooh, is he going to be jealous when he hears that Mia has an eye for someone else!"**

Mia raised an eyebrow at Ron. "Who's going to be jealous?"

The trio frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"How'd you know what I was thinking?" Ron asked.

'_Crap!'_ Mia chuckled nervously.

"**Way to go genius."**

Mia glared at her friend to help her out.

"You know whom I'm talking about." AJ said, confusing the trio.

"The one with lack of intelligence and sense of fashion?"

"What _are_ you talking about now?" Ron looked confused between the two.

"It's code!" Hermione shouted, pointing at them.

"You do know it's rude to point?" AJ asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mia sighed in audibly, closing her eyes in relief. Harry was the only one to see this but did not conclude it in his mind just in case.

"_What_ are you guys _hiding_?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

Mia took out her notebook and pen and wrote something down. She nudged AJ, who looked at the notebook.

'_This… **witch** (hehe) is too damn smart! She knows we're hiding something and probably figure it out soon… There's got to be a better way for us to talk without anyone knowing!'_

AJ nodded in agreement. "I'll look it up tonight."

"Was that code to?" Ron questioned curiously.

The girls burst out laughing, shaking their heads. Mia took out a red eraser and erased what she wrote while she answered Ron.

"No, that was talking normal."

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Both AJ and Mia had the most fun in their Transfiguration class. They were two of the four who were even close to making their mice to vanish all the way, properly. The other two were Ginny Weasley and a boy from Slytherin. Although the girls couldn't get points for doing great work, they were both on McGonagall's good side from now on.

Next was Care of Magical Creatures, and the girls were thrilled to learn creatures they knew by fairy tales and new creatures from the Wizarding World that they never thought could ever exists or even imagine such a creature could be real. Herbology went somewhat well. AJ was best at figuring out each plant was and what to do with it or it's uses for potion making. Mia knew little of what each plant was as it all looked the same to her.

Astronomy both girls liked as they never had a Centaur for a teacher before. But than again, this _was_ a school for magic, which the teens never set foot upon before. Professor Firenze was a bit on the relaxing yet serious type and the two witches liked him about it (and not because of his looks like some of the other girls.).

And their last class, Charms, was boring to them as nothing interesting happened. But both girls were surprise to see a _very_ small wizard who had to stand up on books when speaking to the class. The spells they had to do were easy for the girls, and finished in half the time as the other students.

Once that final bell ran, AJ and Mia went straight to the Tower to drop off their books and than straight towards the Great Hall for dinner. The two sat together, not really noticing everyone staring at them with envious eyes as they could not be taken points off for doing something that seemed to be wrong. The trio entered the hall and Harry went straight towards the girls, sitting across from them with Ron and a reluctant Hermione.

"So how'd classes go?" Harry asked.

"Fine."

"Okay."

Both girls said at the same time.

"How'd go your first day in a magical school?" Ron asked.

Both girls looked at them with wide eyes. "It was so cool!" They almost shouted in joy.

The two than begun to talk at the same time really quickly.

"I never would have thought a magic school like this!"

"Most of the spells are hard but we got through them."

"I don't like most of the teachers much but it was better than when I went to regular school."

"The homework's pretty easy."

"There's so many new things to see in every corner!"

"It never cease to amaze me to what happens next."

"I never had so much fun!"

"I love it here!"

The trio were amused by this, never really meeting someone liking the school so much as the two witches before them.

"What are your favorite subjects?" Hermione asked.

"I like Astronomy because I always liked learning about the stars. But I also like Care of Magical Creatures since I've never seen or heard so many creatures before."

AJ rolled her eyes at her enthusiastic friend and answered the older witch. "I mostly like Potions, since I'm so good at it."

"So's Harry." Ron thrust his thumb to his best friend.

"No I'm not." Harry mumbled.

"**Just because I used the Half-Blood Prince's advise instead."** Harry thought glumly yet happy that he did used it.

Mia raised a curious eyebrow at Harry, who suddenly looked at her in worry. "Why won't you give yourself credit for something you're good at?" Mia questioned, tilting her head in curiosity.

"**Because it wasn't his doing!"** Hermione thought as she stabbed at her dinner.

Harry shrugged. "I guess because I was never really good at anything before. Will, except Defense Against the Dark Arts last year. But with Snape as our teacher,"

"It's gone down hill." Mia finished.

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

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After dinner, everyone returned to their House common room to either finish last minute homework, to study, or simply talk with friends. AJ and Mia sat at the corner of Gryffindor's common room, looking out the window into the darken grounds.

"What do you think?" AJ suddenly asked.

"I don't know but we deserve some answers."

AJ nodded. "You go and find the old wizard and ask all the questions that has been bothering us."

Mia narrowed her eyes at the shape shifter. "Aren't you coming with me?"

AJ smiled innocently, standing up. "I'm going to 'sleep' since I'm 'tired.'" AJ chuckled, walking up the stairs.

"Brat." Mia mumbled, standing up and walking out of the portrait hole only to bump into Harry. "Oh, sorry."

"It's all right." Harry eyes her suspiciously. "Where are you going out so late?"

"I have to go talk to Dumbledore." Mia said as if it was nothing. "Do you need a password to enter his office?" Mia questioned more to herself than Harry.

"Yeah. It usually has to deal with candy." Harry shrugged.

"Okay, well, thanks." And Mia walked out of the portrait hole.

She stop at the top step, her eyebrows furrowed together. She turned and looked up at the Fat Lady.

"Excuse me, but do you know where Dumbledore's office is?"

"Oh, why go up to the seventh floor, turn left and walk all the way down until you see a gargoyle statue. It would be the only one in that corridor, you cannot miss it."

Mia smiled in gratefulness. "Thank you."

Mia walked to the left and jogged up the five set of stair case. _'Good exercise.'_ Mia thought amusedly, smirking stupidly.

454545454545454545

Mia leaned up against the wall near the staircase as she finally made it up to the seventh floor. It took her half an hour to reach it as the ever so Changing Staircase changed on her every time she stepped onto one.

"Damn staircases." Mia muttered, standing up and walking down the empty hallway with sleeping or talking portraits.

Mia held on to her side, breathing somewhat normally, looking for the gargoyle statue.

"What are you doing out here so late?" A wizard asked, looking away from the witch he was talking to.

"I'm looking for Dumbledore's office." Mia said breathlessly, turning to the portrait.

"Oh, well continued down this hall, take the left corridor and you'll see the statue."

"Thank you." And Mia went off to follow the wizard's directions.

Finally reaching the gargoyle, Mia stood before it, her head tilted to the side.

"Um… please open?" Mia questioned.

But the gargoyle did not move. Mia's eyebrows knitted together in thought.

"Chocolate Frogs? Flavor beans? Mars Bars? Blowing Gum? Chocolate cakes? Lime pies? Kit-Kat! Hershey's!" Mia jumped up and down like a little kid. "Open sesame?" Mia tried as a last attempt.

Huffing, Mia sat down Indian style with a frown. She rested her right elbow on her knee and put her chin on her palm.

"Harry said the password had to deal with candy." Mia grumbled.

The mind reader sat there for ten more minutes when the gargoyle suddenly sprang around and going up, showing a pair of staircases. Mia was taken back but smiled triumphantly, even though she didn't do anything, and quickly stood up. She jogged up the stairs and stood before an oak door. Mia knocked loudly, not knowing how big the office really was.

"Come in." Came a muffled reply.

Mia opened the door and entered. She saw Dumbledore up next to what she thought to be a telescope, closing the door behind her. Dumbledore wore an amused smile.

"_Acid Pops_ is the password for now." Dumbledore told her, descending the stairs. The old wizard walked behind his desk, motioning Mia to sit before him. "Now, what can I do for you, Miss Skye?"

Mia sat down, stared right into Dumbledore's blue eyes. "Who is this Voldemort person and who are these Death Eaters?" Mia asked as she tried to read his mind with no success.

"Tom Riddle, but now as he is calling himself, Lord Voldemort, was a great wizard a long time ago. He is the ancestor of Salazar Slytherin. He study all there could be about the Dark Arts, the subject fascinating him to no end." Dumbledore sighed tiredly, Mia seeing the age catching up to him. "He had such a terrible past and so much anger within him. Once he graduated here, he tried to work her, but the headmaster back than told him to come back in a few years time.

'Tom than come back when I was appointed headmaster. He was becoming more of a creature than human when I saw him. I denied his request to teach here, never once trusting the man. He gathered wizards and witches to rid of Muggles and Muggle-born. Tom begun to call them Death Eaters. Many were against it but they were either force to join, black-mailed, or willing followed behind Tom."

Mia wrapped her arms around her, feeling cold chills run up her spine. "What's it got to do with the school though and Harry?"

"This place is full of magic, and Tom wants to tap into it. Also, he was to corrupt the children at the younger age. Now, Harry was the only person Dumbledore couldn't defeat."

Mia frowned. "What?"

Dumbledore nodded. "That is correct. Harry was a baby at the time, losing both his parents to Voldemort himself. But something happened that no one knows and Voldemort was diminished from his body but completely gone. And Harry is the only who has ever stopped him." Dumbledore nodded to himself. "And there is a prophecy that say's only one of them must live."

Mia nodded, taking all this information in. Than a questioned popped into her head, one that she wanted the whole truth.

"And what's it got to do with my mother's clan?"

Dumbledore studied the girl in silence, wondering if it was time for her to know. "Your mother," Dumbledore finally said. "Was birthed into two different Wizarding worlds. Ours that use wands, and that of the wandless, or as it is know, Wiccan Magic. Your mother came here to be schooled but sill practiced her mother's kind of magic. She met a wizard that transferred here from Spain, Salvador Skye."

"So my surname is real then?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I located a family with the same surname. Unfortunately the only ones were in America."

Mia shook her head confused. "But why didn't you let me stay with one of my parent's family member?"

"Because you were in danger and had to be kept hidden for protection."

"Protection from what danger?" Mia demanded, wanting to know her past she never knew.

"From that of Tom Riddle."

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it!We won't update until we get more reviews! It doesn't matter what it is says (as long as it's not a flame), it could say two words or one, it doesn't matter. Just review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

While Mia was off getting the information the two would need in order to survive the school year, AJ was in the room they shared trying to finish her homework and working on the wings potion at the same time… it wasn't going very well.

Anubis looked at the sheet of parchment in front of AJ and meowed loudly, pointing his paw to a line of nearly illegible printing. AJ glared at her black cat then back to the page.

"I know it's wrong, but I have to get this done quickly if I want to finish your potion and also go out to give you your first flying lesson." The shape shifter replied, losing her patience at the quill in her left hand, which would leave smudges on the parchment as she dragged her left hand over the words.

'_Why couldn't they just use **pens**?'_ AJ thought in irritation.

Harmony, who was waiting patiently for AJ to finish, hooted in annoyance and ruffled her feathers, saying a slightly rude comment. AJ, hearing the owl's statement, nearly threw her quill onto the other side of the room in frustration.

"I really don't like homework!" She cried out in exasperation, shoving everything off to one side of her desk and picking her book up off the side of her bed before sitting down by the window to read it.

Turning to a random page, she began to search for something that would let both Mia and herself to talk without being understood – or heard – by Harry, Ron and Hermione… but mostly Hermione. AJ raised an eyebrow at one page; it had an incantation for another language that wasn't known by anyone.

"Mia'll be happy with my research, won't she?" The shape shifter questioned, marking the page with a piece of scrap parchment.

Anubis looked intently at his master as she flipped through the pages of her novel, searching for the certain page with the wings potion on it.

"Let's see…" AJ muttered, coming to the page.

She dragged over her cauldron in front of her as well as the ingredients Mia stole from potions class that morning.

"Hawk's eyes – ew – and two eagle talons, a dove's tongue… this potion is disgusting."

The shape shifter began to place the ingredients into her cauldron, muttering to herself as she did so.

"Okay, last ingredient." AJ said with a sigh after another fifteen minutes. "A feather with the color you want the wings to be… that's easy, and not disgusting for a change."

She shifted into an owl, but quickly transformed back when she realized something – all of the feathers on her wings were both black and pink.

"You don't want black and pink wings, do you Anubis?" AJ questioned, trying to visualize her pet with his wings.

"You do that and I shall find a way to kill you, master." Anubis replied, arching his back at her.

AJ chuckled and turned to a resting Harmony, smiling sweetly. "Oh Harmony–"

"Forget it," the owl replied quickly.

"Please, just one feather, that's it." AJ pouted, but it seemed to have no effect on her. The shape shifter reached for her wand. "I'll turn you into a frog, I'm sure Mia would be happy with a black and white frog."

Harmony opened one eye and glared at AJ, while holding out her black wing. AJ smiled in triumph and plucked a single black feather from the owl's wing, adding it to her potion. After stirring the potion a few more times, it turned a shimmering black that suddenly start to smell like tuna.

"Tuna, why tuna?" AJ questioned, pinching her nose together with her fingers to block out the smell.

"Because it will smell like the person who the potion is made for – me – their favorite smell and tuna is my favorite." Anubis replied, pointing to the last line on the page.

AJ made a face at her pet and set a small bowl of the potion on the floor in front of him. "Drink up, Anubis."

The black cat sniffed it cautiously, wondering if it was actually safe to drink. When nothing set off the alarms inside his head, he slowly dipped his tongue in and took a small sip; he downed the entire thing within a span of ten seconds flat. AJ played with her wand and began to clean up while Anubis was twitching slightly.

"Having fun?" The shape shifter questioned, raising an eyebrow at her cat who was trying to climb up the wall.

Anubis didn't reply; the sound of ripping flesh did for him as two small, black wings broke through the skin of his shoulder blades. AJ winced and looked tentatively at Anubis, who was looking at himself in the mirror, admiring his new look.

"Can we go now?" Harmony questioned in an annoyed tone of voice.

"Yes, and I'll give Anubis his first flying lesson while you and Hedwig are out hunting." The shape shifter replied, picking her cat up and walking over to the window. "This is always the best way to learn."

Anubis closed his eyes as he was thrown out the window with Harmony and AJ – as an owl – followed pursuit.

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-- Dumbledore's office—

"So that brings me back to my previous question." Mia told the old wizard. "What does Voldemort got to do with my mother's clan?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, his laced fingers at the edge of his desk. "The _Hinaya's _ were forced to join Tom to kill any those who betrayed or stood in his way. After a while, the clan started to rebel against Tom, not really liking the way he was doing things. But they knew another evil was working behind it and one night, the entire clan went into hiding." Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "Many of the Death Eaters that were loyal to Tom had to find them, and some succeed in finding half the _Hinaya's _were murdered and this only made them more cautious of their hiding place and what told others of their existent."

"Their tattoos." Mia said softly, looking down to the black bandana wrapped around her right wrist.

"Correct." Dumbledore gave a slow nod at her intelligence. "But Tom is slowly becoming desperate and is tracking down every last _Hinaya_ there are in Europe."

"Which is why Mr. Lupin was desperately trying to put me into hiding since he lifted off the spell that covered my tattoo?" Dumbledore nodded. "But besides trying to put me into his side or kill me, why does Voldemort want to _me_ specifically?"

"Because your mother was the Princess of the Hinaya's."

Mia laughed nervously as she stared in disbelief at the wizard before her. "W-what?"

Dumbledore nodded. "You heard right. And since both your parents were killed, there was no one to take the throne after your grandparents died. And if Tom finds you, he will be able to make you do what he wishes and have you bring the _Hinaya's_ to his side."

Mia leaned back in her chair, placing her right leg over her left, her right hand pinching the bridges of her nose as a headache was coming on. But as she thought back to when she first came to London, Mia suddenly remembered something that might have brought her even more danger to herself, her friends, and this school. She brought down her hand, looking at Dumbledore with a worry expression.

"An older woman with blonde hair and her son, she was surprise to see me when I first came upon London. AJ and I entered the _Leaky Cauldron_ and she was there. The second time was when we were getting our robes. She called me Karya, could she be one of Voldemort's followers? Um…" Mia tapped her forehead, trying to remember the son's name. "Oh! Her son was name Draco Malfoy."

Dumbledore show surprise and worry in his blue eyes, but not his face that seemed a bit pale to Mia.

"Narcissa Malfoy…" Dumbledore trailed off. "She and her husband were the ones that killed your parents."

All the air in Mia's lungs left her as Dumbledore's words echoed in her head. She stared wide eye at him, hatred and anger rising within her small body. Nodding, Mia numbly stood up.

"I think I got all that AJ and I needed answering. Have a nice night."

And Mia numbly walked out of the room. Dumbledore stared at his closed door for quiet some time, pondering on the thoughts about what has just taken place in his office.

"I believe I just worsen things by telling her the truth." He said to himself, looking over to Fawkes, who gave a small call towards his master.

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--Morning—

AJ, Anubis, and Harmony returned just after dawn, unharmed, un-soaked, and unwounded. AJ fell on to her bed, falling asleep quickly for an hour's rest. Anubis was able to put his wings into his back and fall asleep curled up next to his master. Harmony sat upon Mia's desk to watch her master carefully as she was wide awake. She hooted softly, tilting her head to the side.

Mia hadn't slept all night, the conversation with Dumbledore haunting her mind. Sighing, the girl sat up, not waning to be in bed any longer.

"Go to the Owlery, Harmony. Be with your friends."

Harmony hooted softly but did as her master said. Mia grabbed her clothes she was going to wear that day and a towel, wanting a cold shower to wake her sense up for the day. After an hour of standing under the spraying cold water, Mia got out and quickly dried her body and hair before changing into a dark red skirt with black designs on it, the hem of the skirt brushing against the floor. The skirt was that of light fabric and seemed to have many layers upon it. It hung off her hips, a black belt hanging down from her left hip and to rest around her right thigh. She put on some knee high black boots, and a black tube top that stopped just above her navel, a silver half loop bar instead that of the other jewelry with a little design hanging down on it.

Mia looked into the mirror to see two dark circles under her eyes and that the red dye was starting to fade, her hair growing longer a bit each day.

"I'm gonna have to find someone to buy a box of dye." She muttered, touching her right bang.

Mia returned to the room and quickly went on her knees before her trunk. She opened it and started to look though it, pushing clothing and books around. Mia than picked up a small black bag at the very bottom of the trunk and opened it. She took out both liquid and powder cover up. Closing the lid, Mia got up and walked over to her desk, a small mirror to the side. She quickly applied the liquid cover up, making sure the dark circles could hardly be seen, than the powder, covering the circles completely.

Hearing a groan coming from her friend, Mia put the liquid cover up in one of the drawers and put the powder into one of the small pockets on her backpack, shoving books and notebooks she should be needing for the day.

"Wakey, wakey!" Mia said, hurriedly, and smoothly, smooth her face to make the cover up more natural looking. "We're – you actually – are going to be late for breakfast if you don't get up!"

Mia stood, placing her robes on, and shouldering her backpack. The mind reader looked over to her friend putting the sheets over her head. Mia sighed in irritation and looked over to Anubis, who was stretching out.

"Wake your master up, I have important information to tell her."

And the mind reader walked out, yawning into her hand. She shook her head, descending the stairs as tiredness and lack of sleep was catching up to her. Mia walked out of the Gryffindor Tower, down the stairs, and down a barely empty corridor. The hairs of the back of her neck rose, the girl feeling as though being watch. The young girl stretched out her mind, trying to figure out who was following her.

"**I can't believe he asked _her_ out!"**

"**I have to study all that I can for the O.W.L.s!"**

"**I wonder what's going to happen now that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is alive."**

"**My dad might be gone, but I'm sure he'll soon return."**

"**Harry Potter is the only one who has ever fought with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and twice! I wonder if he'll survive again?"**

"**I will have to get close to her or I'll never get my reward!"**

"**I have to fix it! If not, mum and I are dead! Will, will, will, look at who we have here. Who is this girl that my mum seems to know so much about?"**

Mia quickly stopped and looked all around the hall. She did not see Draco anywhere and now wondered if that thought was really from him, or someone else. A hand was rested upon Mia's shoulder, making her scream and quickly turn around. The kids walking about their business stared at the girl if she were crazy.

"Whoawhoawhoa!" Ivan quickly took the girl's arms. "Hey, you okay?"

Mia put a hand to her heart, closing her eyes as her breathing was coming in ragged. She felt Ivan bring her closer to him for a comforting hug, his arms circled around her tightly. Calming down, Mia opened her eyes and looked up at Ivan's concern ones.

"I'm sorry; I guess I'm just a bit jumpy this morning."

Ivan smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry; I'll be here to protect you from danger." His smile widens. "_I'll_ keep you safe from anyone who's trying to harm you."

Mia smiled faintly, "thank you."

"Let's go to breakfast, huh?"

454545454545454545454545

Ivan walked Mia over to Harry and his friends before taking his leave over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Where's AJ?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Awake, I hope." Mia answered, filling her plate.

"Does she always sleep in?" Hermione continued to ask questions of the mysterious girl.

Mia raised an eyebrow at her. "Like every other teenager that hate's school. Haven't you ever tried it before?"

Ron scoffed. "Not if her life depended on it."

"Too bad, you should try it some time." Mia smirked at the older girl. "It's _relaxing_."

Before Hermione could answer, the Great Hall doors opened, a voice ringing out over the noise.

"Why didn't you wake me up… _again_?" AJ stored over towards the group, sitting next to Harry's right.

She was wearing baggy black hip huggers and a light blue shirt underneath her robes.

"I did, but you didn't want to wake up, so I left it up to Anubis to wake you."

AJ rolled her eyes, filling up her plate. "Yes, and what a _lovely_ way to wake up. But still, did you get any of the, ahem?"

The trio looked at he two girls with suspicion.

"Yup. And I found out a lot than what I have intended." Mia looked at her friend, her aqua eyes telling her that they would have to speak of this later when no one was around. "Did you find a way for us…?"

AJ nodded, "yeah, but in Divinations since we don't do anything in there."

Mia nodded but quickly frowned with concern. "I think we just got ourselves in a _very_ big mess." She told the shape shifter.

AJ looked up at her friend with an equal mirrored expression. "That bad?"

Mia shook her head. "You have no idea. Especially from what I have found out, sh – it's bad."

AJ closed her eyes. "I knew I should've asked for more." She muttered. "I just knew that something wasn't right about this whole thing."

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione asked, the trio confused.

"Hagrid's essay on Sphinxes." Mia lied to them with a sigh. "We could hardly find _anything_ on them, and it's due _today_."

The trio blinked, feeling a bit foolish. They have thought that the two mysterious teens have been talking about something that they have been hiding from them and the rest of the world. Suddenly, Harry remembered something and turned to AJ.

"I saw your name for the Quidditch tryouts. You're going to tryout for Chaser?"

AJ nodded. "Yeah, but I really wanted to tryout for Seeker but you're the Seeker for the team, so I can't do anything about it." She shrugged.

"Will, tryouts are on tomorrow, and I hope you'll make the team." Harry told her truthfully.

AJ smiled. "Thanks."

The morning mail came, most of the students excited. Two brown owls came flying towards the group, one landing before Hermione, bearing the _Daily Prophet_, while the other landed right in front of Mia's plate, knocking over Harry's pumpkin juice. Hermione quickly cleaned up the juice, as Mia raised an eyebrow at the owl hopping on one leg as it stuck out his left that held a rolled up parchment.

"Will, aren't you going to get your letter?" Ron asked.

Mia leaned towards the owl. "Are you sure you got the right person?" The owl hooted impatiently. "Okay, okay. Jeez."

Mia quickly unburdened the owl of the parchment and watched it fly out of the Great Hall with a few others. Mia frowned down at the letter, opening it, not knowing who could be sending her one.

"Maybe it's from your second cousin?" AJ thought out loud.

Mia looked up at AJ before quickly opening the letter in a rapid pace. Mia's eyes darted to the bottom, her hopeful and anxious expression quickly switching to a crestfallen look.

"No, it's from someone else."

AJ frowned in confusion. "Who?" She and the trio asked.

"The one you made me fall on top of!" Mia said accusingly.

"Oooh, _him_." AJ said with a laugh.

"Him who?" The trio asked but the two girls only ignored them.

AJ went back to eating while Mia read the letter, out of the trio's reach incase they wanted to snatch it away from her.

_Dear Mia,_

_I heard from one of my sources at Hogwarts that you have found someone of interest in Hufflepuff. Now, I must warn you that the boys in Hufflepuff are very… tricky. They use unsuspecting girls to just amuse themselves. I should know, my brother and I taught a couple of them. So I will leave you with this warning: **Beware of the Hufflepuff boys!** I'm just trying to protect you on your first year at Hogwarts._

_I mean, we **are** friends, right? So considered this as a hopeful warning. And if you want, we have a few products here that will help you humiliate the Hufflepuff right back (if he were to ever do such a thing). Or, if you want, I can handle him for you! With my brother's help that is. Will, I best be off._

_Fred Weasley_

_P.S. George says hi._

Mia rolled up the parchment and glared at Ron.

"What did I do?" Ron asked with a mouth full of food.

"Thanks for telling your brother about Ivan!"

Quickly standing, Mia grabbed her goblet and threw her drink at Ron before slamming it down and walking away.

"That-!"

"_Don't_," AJ started slowly, not looking at the boy by Harry's left. "Even finish that sentence if you value your life."

Hermione dried Ron up as Harry shook his head.

"Mia and Ginny have a right to be mad at you Ron." Harry looked at his best friend. "You have to stop telling your brothers everything about who they're going out and who they like!"

"Mia doesn't like Ivan!" AJ protested. "They're just really good friends!"

"But it's not my bloody fault!" Ron defended. "Fred _wanted_ me to tell him about Mia!"

"But why?" Hermione asked.

AJ stared at her as if she were the dumbest person alive. "Because he _likes_ Mia! _Hello_!"

"Oh," Hermione turned red.

AJ shook her head, muttering under her breath.

"But you know, Mia looked a bit…" Harry trailed off, not knowing the word to use.

"Tired." Hermione suddenly said.

"But I didn't see any dark circles under her eyes." Ron told them.

"She probably got little sleep when waiting up for me." AJ told them, seeing Mia's tiredness as nothing grave.

Finishing her meal, AJ stood, wanting to go looking for her mind reader friend.

"Oh, AJ," AJ looked over to Harry. "Could you do us a favor and tell Hagrid that we're sorry that we couldn't continue Care of Magical Creatures."

AJ smiled. "Sure. Talk to you guys later."

And she went off to find her friend.

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AJ found Mia in their _History of Magic_ class, leaning back on the back legs of her chair, her feet up on the desk, and writing in her notebook. The shape shifter sat next to her friend, wondering if she should say something or not.

"They're so damn noisy here!" Mia said, shaking her head. "Why does Fred even care who I like or not? And I don't _like_ Ivan. Sure he's cute and all, but he's a friend, nothing more!"

"It was probably just how Ron told his brother." AJ said with a shrug, taking out her book.

"That's another thing!" Mia said, pushing her feet to the ground, the chair slamming down to the ground, as she purposely slammed her notebook hard on the desk. "Why the hell is Ron _telling_ his brothers about what I'm doing and who the hell I like?"

"Stop swearing and because Fred asked Ron to do so." AJ said annoyed.

"Why?" Mia asked in frustration and annoyed.

AJ rolled her eyes, her friend reminding her of Hermione earlier. "I don't know! Ask _him_!"

The other students started to come in and AJ put her book away as Mia went back to writing in her notebook, leaning back on her chair and putting her feet on the table. Her skirt was long enough to hide anything private so she didn't care much for it. But as soon as the door closed, Professor Binns floated through the front wall, Mia quickly putting down her feet and sitting the right way.

Professor Binns started off the class about a war between two ancient clans, centuries ago; the wandless, known as Wiccan magic, and those that use wands. And how witchcraft had started to disappear from the face of the Muggle world and . But what the ghost professor says next brings the attention of a certain wandless witch in the back of the classroom.

"But this certain clan was made up by seven _females_. Only females for each representing one of the continents; Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. These females were all able to shape shift to the animal of their choosing but it had to be from their continent."

AJ gaped at the Professor, now knowing that he was talking about the women that she has been hearing from the portraits and which the book belonged to. The shape shifter nudged the sleeping Mia, who grumbled quietly, looking up to her friend.

"What?" Mia asked annoyed.

"Listen!" AJ hissed, too many thoughts running through her head.

"They were able to use wandless magic, which at the time (and still is) called Wiccan magic. What set them apart from all of the rest of the Wiccan witches and wizards was that these females eyes. Their left eye was always a golden color, while their right eye was the color of their ancestors. They wrote all they could about their history, spells they've cast, and special abilities they each possessed, although it was mostly had to do with the technique of a sword, which they all carried with them. It is also said that the book is divided into two different parts."

Mia's eyes widen also and looked at her friend, who nodded at her, and back to Professor Binns, paying attention as best as she could, trying to memorize all that she could.

"But to be able to see either one of the parts, you must say a spell, which no one knows any longer. But even so, these women all had their different abilities of magic. Asia had the power of foresight, Africa had the power of Mediator, Antarctica had the power to heal or bring sickness, Australia had the power to hunt down anything and anyone, Europe was able to do any spell in any language, North America was able to do all types of Potions, and finally South America had the power to control nature.

'It was these women that helped the Founders make this school happen. But it was also the women's fault that the Founders begun to think differently of another's thoughts." Before Professor Binns could say anymore, the bell rang. "No homework for tonight. See you all next class."

And he floated out of the classroom. AJ turned to her friend, whispering lowly for her only to hear.

"I have to figure out that spell to get the history of this book!"

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it! Oh, and we won't update until we get more than three reviews, it doesn't matter what it says, as long as you review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

AJ and Mia were the last ones to leave the classroom. They headed towards Care of Magical Creatures, both girls deep in thought.

"You know, I've read about these Founders in a book." Mia said as she moved out of a group of boy's way. "They were the ones to think up this school as more witches and wizards started to multiply every year but had no knowledge on how to use the magic or even where to go. So the Founders put all their own knowledge into the hat to put each child into one of the Houses so the children could learn to use andto control the power, as will as learning a new spell every year." Mia frowned and looked to her friend. "But what's the women that made _your_ book got to do with Hogwarts?"

AJ shook her own head. "Don't know, but we got to find out soon."

Mia looked forward again and walked out of a second year boy's way. "I'll try looking in the library during lunch today. You, although, should just go and get closer to Harry. Because so far, you haven't been keeping the promise to Dumbledore."

AJ raised an eyebrow, looking over to the mind reader. "I've been protecting him!" AJ defended.

Mia rolled her eyes and looked to the shape shifter. "I meant by getting close to him, being his _friend_."

"Oh, _that_ promise." AJ chuckled, both girls looking forward.

They walked out of the castle, down the lawns, and towards the Forbidden Forest for their class, missing the dark figure sinking back into the shadows of the castle. AJ walked over to Hagrid and tapped him on the arm.

"Professor Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked down at AJ. "Yes Miss Jasmine? What can I do for ye?"

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione want to apologize for not taking your class this year, but it's just that they have so many problems going on that they had to cut your class, which is their favorite, of course, and other several classes, and they ask for your forgiveness."

Hagrid had a faint smile. "Aw, I know. But I guess I needed someone ta tell me. I'll talk to 'em after class."

And the half-giant walked away, Mia taking his place.

"Do you think it wise to ask him about dragons and sphinxes? I mean, he doesn't know who you _really_ are."

AJ glared at her friend. "Stop reading my mind!"

"I only read your mind when you start having that mischief look in your eyes." Mia glared back. "Which is almost _all_ the time."

"Okay, okay, gather around, class is startin'." Hagrid's voice stopped the two girls from arguing any further.

The class went on as usual, students learning, and up close, to dangerous creatures ones that neither Mia or AJ have seen or heard of. By the end of the class, AJ walked right up to Hagrid, making sure no one was around to hear.

"Professor Hagrid, I was wondering if we would be able to study any complex creatures, like, um… dragons? Sphinxes?" AJ smiled sweetly.

Hagrid chuckled, "not ever I'm 'fraid. Those creatures are too dangerous to be brought here at Hogwarts."

Mia and AJ both raised an eyebrow, thinking the same thing. _'Yeah, like the creatures you bring aren't dangerous enough.'_

AJ smiled, "oh, well,"

Hagrid looked suspiciously at the girl. "Why'd ye ask?"

AJ sighed, tiring of beating around the bush. "Because I'm a shape shifter and wish to shift into a dragon or a sphinx, or something mythical."

Hagrid was taken back by this. "Merlin, are ye really a shape shifter?"

AJ sighed, while Mia looked around. "You're good." Mia told her.

AJ transformed into a black cat with pink streaks.

"Blimey! Ye really are a shifter!"

AJ was about to transform when Mia stopped her. "Kids are coming!"

AJ turned her head back as Hagrid looked up.

"Best ye transform somewhere quiet." Hagrid told AJ quietly.

"But you can't tell anyone about this, Mr. Hagrid." Mia said, picking up AJ.

"Don't ye worry, I won't say a word. Now go and transform or ye'll be late for class."

Mia nodded and turned to go back to the castle when AJ jumped out of her arms, accidentally scratching Mia's left forearm.

"A – You – come back here!" Mia yelled as she sprinted after AJ.

Many of the students quickly moved out of the way when Mia ran towards them whenever AJ ran under feet or around the kids. The two teens ran all the way up to the third floor, AJ turning a _very_ sharp corner to the right. Mia turned her head and came to a skidded turn before sprinting after her friend once more. AJ looked back at her friend, laughing within her head before looking forward and pushing her to run even faster.

Mia noted this and groaned as she pushed herself faster as will. The shape shifter turned a sharp left and jumped into the arms of Harry (whom she knew would be there), making him drop his books.

"What the-?" Ron looked from the cat to over the corner, Hermione and Harry looking up as will.

They saw Mia skidded to a stop, half her body near the floor as she slid to the middle of the hallway, her right hand near the floor, balancing herself. She quickly stood up and dusted herself before walking over to the trio, glaring at AJ, who was swinging her tail back and forth over Harry's arm in amusement.

"Is this cat yours?" Harry questioned confusedly.

Before Mia could answer, Hermione cried out in surprise and shock.

"That cat followed us in Diagon Alley!"

"Really?" Mia played innocent. "It followed _me_ back to the Burrow." AJ hissed at Mia. "I should've left it out of the house. I hate cats."

AJ hissed once more at her friend before jumping out of Harry's arms and running away back around the corner.

"Aren't you going to go after it?" Ron questioned.

"Naw, besides, I got Transfiguration and I don't want to be late." Mia looked down at her arm to see it still bleeding.

"Where's AJ?" Harry asked.

Mia pointed her right thumb behind her, everyone looking up to see AJ turn the corner, Ivan following. The trio all turned to stare at Mia with wide eyes.

"How the bloody hell did you do that?" Ron questioned amazed.

"Just the same way I know that Ivan has just walked up behind me." Mia smiled sweetly.

"How'd you know I was walking up behind you?" Ivan asked, standing next to Mia.

"I got my ways. Now if you'll excuse us, AJ and I got Transfiguration."

Mia pushed AJ over towards a classroom on the right and walked in just as the bell rang. The four older teens just stared at the closed door.

"You know," Ivan started. "Sometimes she scares me."

Everyone nodded in agreement before walking away separately.

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"How are you going to practice shifting into one of the mythical creatures when we could hardly get out of class?" Mia questioned her friend half an hour later.

"I don't _sleep_, remember?" AJ shook her head.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that." Mia muttered, returning to vanishing her snail.

"Good job Skye." Professor McGonagall said behind the two girls, startling them greatly.

"Thank you Miss McGonagall."

McGonagall looked over to AJ expectantly. AJ forced a smile and looked down at her snail. Taking a deep breath, AJ held up her wand, said the vanishing spell, and tapped the snail with her wand. The snail disappeared, except for the right antenna.

"Very good, Miss Jasmine, but try to _vanish_ the whole snail next time."

And McGonagall walked away, Mia chuckling. AJ glared at her friend and pushed her.

"It's not funny! AJ said, although she couldn't help but smile as will.

"You know, you should actually as for Miss McGonagall's help. I mean, she _is_ the Transfiguration teacher." Mia told her friend.

"True, but she's not the one able to bring _in_ the creatures, you know." AJ told Mia.

"Yeah, that's true." Mia looked down at her desk and wondered if her snail was still in the same place.

Taking her chances, Mia waved her wand and said the counter spell of the Vanishing spell and her snail was visible once more. Mia smiles triumphantly.

"Show off." AJ muttered, trying the counter spell also but only bits of the snail continued to appear little by little.

"Do you think we should at least ask Miss McGonagall?" Mia suddenly asked after fifteen minutes of watching her friend make her snail reappear with amusement.

"Finally." AJ muttered as her snail was finally visible. "No, not unless things get complicated." AJ told her friend, taking hold of her snail and placing it in a box that was being past around.

Mia put her snail in the box and smiled at the boy next to her, handing him the box. Blushing, the boy quickly took the box and looked away. Turning her head to her amused friend, ignoring the smirk on her lips, Mia asked AJ a question that has been bothering her.

"Hey AJ, have you found anything in anyway that we could speak to each other without everyone knowing?"

AJ smiled, looking at Mia. "I'm glad you reminded me. I found a page for that in my book, but it'll have to wait until tonight."

Mia nodded, anxious to know what AJ has found.

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--Deep Dungeons—

A tall, dark figure stood before another, short, dark figure, it's the tall figure's eyes the only thing visible at the moment. They were deep down in the dungeons of Hogwarts, where no one ever goes since the school was built.

"She is fast into trusting me. I believe I can now start manipulating her into distrusting your witch." A young, male voice said.

The taller figure smiled evilly, it's teeth being shone. "Yes, but do so slowly. You don't want to rush into things now that I'm so close to getting my revenge." The figure looked down at the smaller figure. "Does anyone suspect you of anything?"

"No." Cane the reply.

The taller figured smiled even wider. "Good. Let's keep it that way."

"Remember, I want my pay after this is all over and your witch is dead."

"Don't worry, I _always_ keep my promises."

The small figure narrowed his eyes. "You better because you know _very_ well that I can go to the Headmaster! And all of your plans will be ruined."

Glaring up at the figure, the smaller one turned on it's heels and walked away. The taller figured sneered after the smaller one, glaring at it's back.

"Fool! You have no idea who you are threatening!" The figure growled, disappearing into the shadows.

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Mia and AJ walked up two more floors to get to their Charms class, AJ not knowing what the deal was with the subject. The shape shifter thought it all pointless to her opinion. But most of the spell AJ knew could be of some use, like the _levitation_ spell. Mia thought the same but didn't complain so much, then again neither did AJ… at least not out loud.

Next came Potions and was as boring as Charms. Both girls did will in making the potions, Slughorn praising them for their wonderful skills and finishing the potion in half the time (thanks to AJ's book that is). Then during Defense Against the Dark Arts, Snape deliberately gave up in taking points off the girls and ignored them all class. Even while AJ or Mia raised their hands to answer a question. Once the bell rang, Mia and AJ were the first ones to leave Snape's class, making their way towards Divinations.

"I think I should turn that Snape into some kind of animal." AJ muttered with a huff.

"As much as I would love to se that, no." Mia told her friend sternly and warningly.

"You're no fun." AJ grumbled.

Mia sighed, rolling her yes. "No, because Mr. Dumbledore would make you turn Mr. Snape back into himself, then he will make your life here at school a living hell. Even if it already is." Mia looked over to the shape shifter. "_Trust me_, I would have _loved_ to see Mr. Snape running around in some form of animal."

AJ smirked at the mind reader and both girls started to laugh. But their laughter was cut short as an icy cold voice spoke up before them.

"What's so funny?"

AJ and Mia looked up to see Draco Malfoy, his two body guards, Crabbe and Goyle, a girl with a face that seemed to have been pushed in, and a boy who looked more good looking then the other two. Mia tensed in fear while AJ glared at Draco, taking a step forward, her left hand resting upon the tip of her hidden sword.

"What do you want?" AJ almost snarled.

Draco glared back. "Nothing, we were just on our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Then move along." AJ told them.

The girl was about to say something but Mia opened her mouth first.

"Justine and AJ, who has a knack to talking to anyone in _anyway_, Pansy Parkson."

Pansy was taken back. "How do you know my name?" She sneered.

Mia looked at them all, but Draco, without fear or hesitation. "I have my ways." She told them amusingly, then turned to the other boy. "I doubt you'll get either of us in your bed for a one night stand, Blaise Zabini."

Blaise's eyes widen, wondering how the girl knew what he was thinking before his face became expressionless once more. AJ couldn't help but smirk in amusement. Mia then started to walk, AJ walking next to her, passing Draco so her friend wouldn't. The group of Slytherin's watched them leave with glares and suspicion.

"I'll find out what it is you have with my mother girl!" Draco yelled after the two teens.

Both Mia and AJ stopped, AJ turning around, glaring at Draco.

"I doubt you'll eve will, _blonde_." Draco glared at the nickname. "But if you dare come near my friend, I won't hesitate to kill you." She told him seriously, her face expressionless.

Crabbe and Goyle trembled visibly at the girl's menacing look, while both Pansy and Blaise hid theirs well, at least not from Mia. Draco's eyes were the only thing that betrayed the fear he felt at the moment (which was a surprise as no one but his father and Voldemort were the only ones to make him feel fear). But the fear was quickly replaced with anger at being threaten.

Not really caring to what they have to say, AJ turned and both girl's started to walk towards the tower on the other side of the castle for their Divinations. By the time the two girl's reached the top stairs, the bell rang.

"Great." AJ mumbled, following Mia up the ladder into Trelawney's classroom.

"sorry Professor, we got held back buy a fight." Mia told the weird woman.

"Not at all, jut go have a seat." Trelawney gestured to the back empty table.

Throughout the class, Trelawney just went on talking about the tea leaves, the history, the reasons of this, and more, boring the class endlessly. Mia fell asleep, her head upon her right arm crossed under her, while AJ bored-ly flipped through her book slowly.

"Why do we have to take this class anyways?" AJ asked in a bored tone. "What's the deal of needing this in the real world?"

The shape shifter frowned when she didn't get an answer and looked to her friend to see her asleep. AJ rolled her eyes, going back to flipping her book.

'_I don't now how that girl could sleep through this woman's voice!'_ AJ grumbled in her mind, continuing to flip through the pages.

"How can I get the history of this book? AJ muttered under her breath as she looked for any kind of clue of the lost spell in the book.

"Now," Trelawney's voice grabbed AJ's attention. "Take out your dream journals, and begin demonstrating each other's dream. The _Dream Oracle's_ are on your table."

AJ nudged her friend as she saw Trelawney making her way to their side first. Mia grumbled and sat up. She popped up her right elbow on the table and placed her head on her palm, trying her hardest not to fall asleep again. AJ placed her book on the floor and took out her journal, while Mia opened the _Dream Oracle_ with her left hand.

"I dreamt that I was flying high above the Quidditch field with the snitch in my hand." AJ told her friend as Trelawney made her way over to them.

Mia flipped through the pages, pretending to be in deep concentration. "Do you remember any other details in your dream?"

"Um…" AJ looked around the room and frowned down at the crystal ball. "I saw a shadowy figure that looked to be asking for help but there was no sound or anything. Just the figure gesturing for help."

Mia frowned and looked up at her friend. AJ looked down at the crystal ball, than back to her friend who frowned even more and looked back and forth between the object and her friend. When Trelawney continued on her way, Mia looked at AJ seriously.

"You've been seeing shadowed figures?"

AJ made a face. "Of course not! I just said whatever at the top of my mind." Mia narrowed her eyes at her friend suspiciously. "I mean it!" AJ defended. "And don't start poking around my head either!" She added quickly, knowing her friend well, pointing a finger at the mind reader.

Mia stuck out her tongue out playfully. Both teens begun to make up dreams in their journal's for next class. Before either girl's knew it, the bell rang, AJ and Mia quickly leaving the classroom. But in the process, AJ had forgotten to grab her book from the floor. It was at the bottom floor which AJ remembered her book.

"Dang! You go to dinner, I'll catch up."

Mia nodded, walking backwards. "Fine, but hurry up, k? I don't want to be stuck with Hermione asking questions."

AJ grinned nodding at her friend. Turning, Mia disappeared down the hallway while the shape shifter jogged back up the spiral staircase. AJ climbed up the silver ladder and entered Trelawney's classroom to see the said professor holding the _S.E.A.N. _book. Trelawney's eyes were wide (even with the glasses), as she gaped down at the book. She immediately begun to flip through the pages, AJ panicking.

"This could not be, could it?" Trelawney murmured.

AJ snapped out of her panic and moved forward. "Forgot my book, sorry." AJ said out loud, making Trelawney stop and look up.

"This is _your_ book?" AJ nodded cautiously, eyeing the professor suspiciously. "Where did you get it?"

"The States, now can I please have it back?" AJ reached out for the book but the professor jerked it away from her reach.

"But could you really be the descendent of the seven women?" Trelawney asked incredulously.

"It was by mistake." AJ told her annoyed. "Now give me my book back!"

"No!" Trelawney argued.

Exhaling in frustration, AJ held out her hands, palms up. "Book!"

The _S.E.A.N._ flew out of Trelawney's hands, which she cried out, and over to AJ's. The shape shifter closed the book with a snap and quickly ran out of the room, not wanting to do with the witch any longer.

"Our future is in the hands of a spoiled teen like her?" Trelawney shook her head. "We are all doomed."

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AJ ran all the way to the Great Hall and stopped before the doors. She was panting hard, placing the book inside her backpack. The hall was deserted as everyone was inside eating dinner. Taking several deep breaths, the shape shifter finally got her breathing right and entered the hall. Everyone looked up to see who it was than returned back to their dinner and any conversation.

AJ quickly scanned the Gryffindor table to see Mia gave a small wave to her. The shape shifter made her way down the table, looking up at the staff table. Trelawney has yet to show up, but AJ had a feeling the witch will forget all that happened thanks to a certain wizard. AJ stared at Dumbledore, who stared back, both with blank expressions. They lost eye contact as soon as AJ turned to face the table and sit down on the bench next to Harry and a sixth year boy whom she did not know.

"Seamus Finnigan." Mia said in a low voice to AJ, who glared at her friend.

"Stop doing that!"

Everyone looked at AJ confused, making her lightly blush with embarrassment. Mia brought up her goblet, trying to hide her smirk.

"Stop doing what?" Harry asked, looking back and forth between the two friends.

"Leaving her behind." Mia replied smoothly.

Neville, who was sitting on Mia's right, accidentally, spilled his goblet over, getting Mia wet on the process. Mia jumped up startled, mostly on instinct.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" Neville said, wiping the drink from the table.

"No problem, Neville, really." Mia took out her wand and cleaned up the mess.

But her robes, although dried, had a stain on them. Mia sighed and took off her robes, placing them over the bench between herself and Neville. Not really wanting to have hers on either, AJ took hers off and placed it over between her and Harry.

"We're not going to get into trouble, Hermione, so drop it!" Mia said annoyed.

Hermione huffed, crossing her arms. "I bet any second Dumbledore's will say something to the both of you."

Both wandless witches grinned amusedly and mysteriously.

"Oh, we doubt it." AJ told her.

The teens around – and the trio – waited for Dumbledore – or any teachers for that matter – to say something to the two rebellious teens. But after fifteen minutes of waiting, not one of the staff said or done anything.

"That's not fair!" Seamus complained.

"Something is wrong!" Hermione said hotly.

"Why is it that you two can't get in trouble for the dress code or any rule you break for that matter?" Ron asked curiously.

"You will know in time." Mia assured them, AJ nodding in agreement.

"So just lay off for a while." AJ told them.

Slowly the group went back to eating, all thinking the same thing: _'What did these two done to get away for so many things? And how can I do it?'_ The last part all but Hermione thought. As soon as dinner was done, AJ and Mia did not stick around to visit with friends (which they did not have many) and went straight up to their room.

"Let's get this thing over with." Mia said as she flop down on her bed.

"What thing?" AJ asked confused.

The mind reader rolled her eyes. "The thing we have to do to be able to talk in a different language so that no one knows what we are talking about."

"Oh, I forgot about that." AJ said as she jumped on to the desk and took out her book from her bag.

Mia rolled her eyes but didn't say anything as she was forgetful at times too. Anubis jumped on to the desk next to his master and sat down, his tail swishing about every now and then. AJ flipped through the pages quickly and stopped on the language spell.

"Okay, you sure you want to do this?" AJ asked.

"Yes! I'm getting sick of not able to talk to each other without people overhearing."

AJ nodded and looked down at the page. "_No privacy whatsoever, Nosy people all around, Give us a language, Which no one knows about._"

Both teens didn't dare to breathe as they looked around the room.

"Do you think it worked?" Mia asked.

"Don't know." AJ said unsure. "Let's go try it out." AJ jumped off the desk and walked out the door in a few long strides.

Mia scrambled off of her bed and followed her friend out. "Where are we going?" Mia asked.

"Outside. I need some fresh air."

Both teens walked into the common room and towards the portrait hole.

"Where are you two going out so late?"

AJ and Mia turned at the sound of Hermione's voice. She, Harry, and Ron walked up to the two girl's, watching them suspiciously.

"Outside, it's too hot in here." Mia answered.

"Oh!" AJ snapped her fingers and turned to her friend. "I forgot to tell you. **_Trelawney found my book and she knows something about it. She said that I'm the one who holds their future in my hands_**."

The trio frowned as they did not understand anything but the name of Trelawney.

"What about Trelawney?" Ron asked curiously.

"What language – if you could even call it that – did you just speak?" Hermione wanted to know.

Mia and AJ grinned at each other. "See you guys later." Mia told them amused.

Both girls walked out of the portrait hole and begun laughing.

"It worked, that's for sure." AJ said, sighing.

But then she stopped, Mia frowning at her. "What's wrong?" Mia questioned.

"**_Harry's following us._**"

Mia looked to her right at the corner of her eyes but couldn't see anything.

"**_Invisible._**" AJ sang. "Come on."

AJ took the lead down the rest of the steps. Mia tried to read Harry's mind but it seemed as though he put up wall around his mind.

"**_He's good. I can't read his mind._**"

"**_I think he knows about us._**" AJ sighed. "**_After he saw me transform and fix his nose without the wand, Harry's been cautious around us._**"

"**_And observing too._**" Mia added.

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Once they were out in the cool air, the two teens continued to walk out of the court yard and towards the Qudditch pit. As soon as they entered, the two girls turned around quickly, Mia with a raised eyebrow, her hands on her hips, while AJ crossed her arms, a bored look upon her face.

"We know you're here, Harry." Mia called out.

"So you might as will show yourself." AJ added.

Harry threw off the Invisibility cloak and put it in his back pocket. He had a look of confusion and distrust.

"How'd you do that? How'd you know I was following?"

"I can smell magic." AJ told him with pride. "And everyone has a different kind of smell." She smiled widely at him.

Harry frowned. "Why are you guys here? It's obvious you're not here to study or you'll have to follow the rules like everyone else."

Mia and AJ looked at each other. "**_Should we tell him?_**"

AJ nodded. "**_It's better than to lie to him. He gets enough of that!_**"

Mia sighed and brought her hands down to her side, looking to a confused Harry. "We," She cleared her throat. "_AJ_ was sent here to protect you… and your friends."

Harry frowned. "Who sent you?"

"That we cannot say." Harry narrowed his eyes at AJ, who shrugged. "Don't get mad at me! I have to keep quite."

"I don't _need_ any protection." Harry argued.

"That's not what our source tells us." AJ argued back.

"We're also hiding out." Mia said, stepping in between the two teens.

Harry looked at the girl confused while AJ slapped Mia's arm.

"_Mia_!" AJ hissed, glaring at her friend.

"Hiding from who? Or what?" Harry asked now full of concern.

AJ shook her head and turned away, walking a few ways from them. Mia also turned and looked up at the bright stars since there were no city lights near Hogwarts.

"What exactly happened to you guys back in the states?" Harry pressed on, wanting to know.

"I'm going out. See you tomorrow." AJ turned into a raven and flew away into the dark sky.

Harry stared wide-eyed at the bird before looking at Mia.

"She's a shape shifter." Mia answered.

"And you're a mind reader." Harry said somewhat amazed.

Mia chuckled softly, turning to face him. "That and other things."

"What's going on Mia?" Harry asked gently, which surprised Mia.

Mia shook her head. "I can't say anything, and neither can you. You have to promise to forget all that you've seen or heard!"

Harry nodded. "I promise."

Mia sighed and begun to walk back to the castle. "Come on; let's go before it gets darker out here."

Harry followed after the girl, trying to put all the missing pieces together.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it! Oh, and we won't update until we get more than three reviews, it doesn't matter what it says, as long as you review!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Mia slowly opened her eyes at the crack of dawn the next morning, trying to decide on whether or not she should actually get up or not. Sighing, the mind reader slowly got out of bed and searched through her trunk for something to wear that day.

"Why did you tell him?"

Startled, Mia looked up, only to see AJ sitting up in her bed. Her hair was knotted and wind-blown, and her eyes were slightly red, as if she had just stopped crying.

"What?" the mind reader questioned, standing up slowly

"Why did you tell him, Mia?" AJ demanded, her emotionless eyes boring into Mia's.

"He deserved to know, AJ."

"Yeah, about _him_, not about our lives!" AJ shook her head and got out of bed, beginning to pace around the room with Anubis watching his master with worried eyes. "Who knows what Harry might've done? The people hunting us could be coming this way as we speak!"

"Harry's not like that and you know it!" Mia sighed in frustration, sitting down on her bed. "Maybe Harry might be able to help us."

"I don't need any help!" AJ argued, clenching her hands into fists, trying to contain her anger.

"We both need help AJ! We can't fend them off alone!" Mia yelled, staring hard at the shape shifter. "And if you didn't need _any_ help, then why did you let me come along?"

"Maybe you can't fend them off alone." AJ growled, putting her shoes on and grabbing her sword, and cloak. "But I _can_, Mia! And I don't know _why_ I ever let you come along with me."

With that, the shifter walked out the door, slamming it afterwards. Mia sank to the floor, crying softly to herself.

_It's not your fault, Mia._ Anubis meowed to the mind reader, even though she couldn't understand him. He walked over and licked the tears that had fallen down her face. _It's not your fault._

Mia than wiped her tears and stood up. "Fine, if she doesn't want to be my friend anymore, I'll just leave and let _her_ protect Harry all by herself."

Mia grabbed her backpack from the chair and dumped all her books on to her bed, which Anubis jumped on in alarmed. The young girl begun to pack all the clothes she can.

_Don't go! AJ needs you!_ Anubis meowed.

Mia scratched his head as she walked over to her desk and put in her notebook inside the backpack as will.

"Tell your master I said good luck." Mia shouldered her backpack and walked out of the room.

She walked down into the common room only to be circled around by the trio of troublemakers (although, not on purpose).

"What was up with AJ? She seemed pretty mad about something." Hermione questioned.

"I don't know and I don't' care! Now get out of my way, I have to go see Dumbledore!" Mia nearly yelled, pushing past them.

"Now what's wrong with her?" Ron asked.

"I think I know." Harry told them.

"Will, what is it?" Hermione questioned.

Harry shook his head and walked over to the couches, Hermione and Ron following, continuing to question him further.

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--Great Hall—

AJ entered the Great Hall after walking around half an hour and walked over to the trio, sitting next to Harry and Neville. The group around looked at her confused, as she was never alone around the school.

"Where is Mia, AJ?" Neville asked shyly.

"How should I know?" AJ asked annoyed, grabbing some pancakes, eggs, and bread.

Harry frowned, looking to his friends, who both shrugged in confusion as will. They began to eat their food, Harry studying the girl carefully.

"Oh, thanks for talking with Hagrid, AJ." Harry said suddenly.

"No problem." AJ told him quickly.

"Are the trials going to take all morning? Don't forget that we have a ton of homework." Hermione told Harry.

"Yeah, the number of people have applied are a lot." Harry told her, feeling nervous at confronting the first hurdle of his Captaincy. "I dunno why the teams' this popular all of a sudden." Before Hermione could say anything, Harry turned to AJ. "You going to tryout for Chaser today, AJ?"

"Yup." AJ smiled at him. "I just hope you think I'm good enough to be on your team."

"I think you'll be on the team." Harry reassured.

Soon the post owls arrived, swooping down through rain-flecked windows, scattering everyone with droplets of water. Most students received more post than usual, anxious parents wanting to hear from their children and to reassure them that all was well at home. AJ looked at a snowy white owl, which she knew was Hedwig, Harry's owl, land before him with a large, square package. A moment later, an identical package landed in front of Ron, crushing beneath it his minuscule and exhausted owl, Pigwidgeon, which AJ knew as Hedwig scolded the owl.

She watched as Harry unwrap the parcel to reveal a new copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_. AJ raised a curious eyebrow.

"But I thought you all ready had a book?" She questioned them.

"They're borrowed." Ron explained. "And since Snape isn't teaching Potions this year, we thought to have the class."

AJ tilted her head as Harry took out the old copy that he was borrowing, tapped the cover with his wand, mutter, "_Diffindo_!" The cover fell off and AJ watch the boy do the same with the brand new book, amused as Hermione looked scandalized. Harry swapped the covers tapped each and said "_Reparo_!" AJ couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head in astonished at the boy next to her.

"I never thought you to do such a thing." AJ told him truthfully.

Harry gave her a smirk, making AJ's insides do a flip-flop and smirk back at him.

"I'll give Slughorn back the new one, he can't complain, it cost nine Galleons." Harry told her.

Hermione only pressed her lips together, looking angry and disapproving. But she was distracted by a third owl landing in front of her with the day's copy of the _Daily Prophet_. AJ went back to her breakfast and looked up at the doors but shook her head, knowing Mia probably wouldn't come down anymore. She toned out the rest of the conversation, questioning herself for treating Mia the way she did.

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--Dumbledore's office—

"You wish to leave?" Dumbledore asked taken back.

"Yes I do." Mia told him.

Dumbledore studied the girl carefully, knowing what has happened.

"Mind staying out of my head?" Mia asked in an aggressive tone. "If you want answers, look into AJ's."

Dumbledore sighed. "Are you sure you want this? AJ _needs_ you to help her."

"I think she can take care of herself." Mia replies in a monotone.

"Very well," Dumbledore gave in. "I will have Hagrid take you to the station. Someone will pick you up in London."

Mia stood up. "Don't bother. I'll be fine on my own, I have been for years." Mia turned but stopped. "I'll leave after Gryffindor tryouts."

And she walked out of the office. Dumbledore stared at the door, wondering if he should contact Kingsley or not. The old wizard stood and moved over to Fawkes, stroking his chest.

"How would you like to see Kingsley today?" Dumbledore ask softly.

Fawkes moved his head up and down.

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--1 hour later—

AJ entered the Quidditch field with her hair tied tightly behind her head in a ponytail, a pair of loose black track pants, and a tight purple T-shirt. She was carrying a broom she had borrowed from the school.

Her eyes scanned the crowd of nearly half the Gryffindor House, seeing the little first years with nervous expressions on their faces, where as the seventh years looked coolly intimidating, towering over all the others. They didn't scare her though, not many things or people could.

She spotted Ginny talking with some of her other friends, glaring at her whenever she thought AJ wasn't looking. Looking around a bit more, she finally saw Harry on the other side of the crowd.

"Good luck, master." Anubis stated, jumping up onto AJ's shoulder as she made her way through the crowd, trying to get over to Harry. "Hedwig, Harmony and myself are going to watch the tryouts from the side, if you do not mind."

"Not at all, Anubis." AJ replied, smiling slightly, although she still felt bad about yelling at Mia.

"Apologize," the cat said strictly, ducking as he nearly got hit in the head with a broom handle.

AJ sighed, stopping a few feet away from Harry. "Fine, I will, right after tryouts I promise."

Anubis meowed in triumph, jumping off his master's shoulder and climbing up the wall to get to the stands where the owls were already. AJ watched her cat do so, making sure he wasn't going to kill himself, when someone roughly pushed her aside.

"Watch where you're going." AJ stated loudly, though the person who had bumped into her took no notice.

"That's Cormac McLaggen." Ron said, walking up beside AJ. "He's trying out for Keeper."

"Isn't that your position?" AJ questioned, watching Cormac talk to Harry.

Ron nodded. "And he's really good too." He said before walking away.

AJ snorted. "We'll see about that." She replied quietly, narrowing her eyes at the taller figure of Cormac as he walked away from Harry.

"Quite a turn out, eh?" AJ asked, walking over to the captain. "Is it like this every year?"

Harry rubbed his temples. "No, not even close. Hermione's given a number of reasons why it's so popular now." He looked up at her. "And I doubt you heard any of it as you dozed off."

AJ smirked, shaking her head. "Number one being you, huh?" AJ inquired, remembering about the 'Chosen One' conversation back on the train.

Harry nodded muttering of 'I guess you did listen' and blew into a whistle. The tryouts began with a basic test. Harry asked all applicants for the team to divide into groups of ten and fly once around the pitch.

AJ smirked. It was going to be easy for her, seeing as she had spent all last night flying around the pitch on her broom and throwing a bewitched Buldger with Harmony, Hedwig and Anubis.

The first ten were made up of only first years – none of which knew how to fly. The second ten weren't much better, being the silliest bunch of girls AJ had even encountered. She almost felt embarrassed for them, because when Harry blew into his whistle, all they did was giggle and clutch onto each other. Almost. They were asked to leave, which they did so cheerfully, sitting in the stands.

The third group was a bit better – until they got into a pileup half way around the field. The fourth didn't even come with broomsticks and the fifth was made up entirely of the Hufflepuff house!

"If there's anyone else here who's not from Gryffindor, leave now, please!" Harry yelled in annoyance.

A couple Ravenclaws quickly went sprinting out of the pitch, laughing. AJ, being the impatient person she is, grabbed the broom she had with her from its spot on the wall and jogged out to be in the next group, Ginny also doing so.

"Why are you here, AJ?" Ginny asked.

The shape shifter chuckled; she could almost smell the jealousy radiating off the girl.

"Trying out for the team, what does it look like?"

Ginny never got to reply, because Harry blew the whistle and the group of ten were off. AJ worked quickly, trying to get into the first position as they rounded the first corner.

Ginny saw this and pushed her broom to go even faster to get in front of AJ. The shape shifter saw the redhead coming up on her left and crouched down lower on her own broom. At the final few feet, Ginny burst in front of AJ, coming in first.

"Nice one Ginny." AJ stated, hoping off her broom and onto the ground.

Ginny only glared at her in response. The next two hours went with many complaints, several tantrums, one crashed Comet Two Sixty and several broken teeth (none of which had anything to do with AJ… much), dodging Bludger's and scoring as many goals they can. Harry stood in front of everyone with a serious expression on his face as he chose the three Chasers.

"The Chasers for this year's team are Katie Bell," everyone clapped and Katie just nodded, "Ginny Weasley," again, clapping, but Ginny looked over to the tall figure of AJ and smirked. "And our final Chaser will be AJ."

Ginny's smirk disappeared quickly, where as AJ just grinned wildly, silently thanking Harry. Up in the stands, Harmony and Hedwig hooted their congratulations, and Anubis jumped up and down happily.

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Mia stood in the shadows of the entrance to the Quidditch pitch, watching the tryouts become more challenging. She saw from where Ginny rode as hard as she could around the pitch, just beating AJ by a few feet. Next the group split into two teams of five and begun to play a small game. AJ scored just three higher than Ginny, who scored seventeen goals.

As Harry announced the new Chasers, Mia nodded in the direction of AJ, smiling sadly at the girl.

"You were the best out there." She whispered, slinking into the shadows.

She gave a long, low whistle, making Harmony ruffle her feathers before flying over the pitch and down to the grounds to land on Mia's outstretched arm.

"We're leaving, girl, I'm sorry you can't say goodbye to anyone." Mia told her, stroking her feathers. "But I was just not cut out for this."

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AJ snapped her head towards the entrance but saw no one. She frowned in confusion, wondering if she imagined the whole thing. Than a low whistle could be heard and knew thatMia was calling for Harmony.

'_Probably to start sending letters since we're not talking.'_

"You okay AJ?" Harry asked as he walked next to her.

AJ nodded. "Yeah fine. Keepers turn?" She asked Harry, looking around.

"Yeah, mind going up to the stands?" Harry asked.

AJ looked over to the nervous Ron and turned to Harry. "Actually, I was wondering if I could throw the Bludger's?" Harry opened his mouth but AJ continued. "I mean, you need someone that's a Chaser that's _actually_ throwing the ball, right?"

Harry thought this over and nodded. "You have a point. Okay, come on." He handed her the Bludger.

AJ followed Harry up into the air and smirked at the six students trying out for Keeper. The first five didn't save more than two goals, and to both AJ and Harry's disappointment, Cormac McLaggen saved four penalties out of five (And AJ threw with her left hand, making it hard for McLaggen to catch most of the balls). But on the last one, however, he shot off in completely the wrong direction. The crowd laughed and booed, McLaggen returning to the ground grinding his teeth.

AJ stared at Ron with a cool look, smiling at him. She nodded to him if she should start, and Ron nodded back. AJ tossed the Bludger back and forth between her hands before holding it with her right hand and flying around before throwing it towards one of the goals. To everyone's surprise, Ron caught all five penalties in a row. AJ joined in on the cheering as soon as she landed on the ground, not liking McLaggen to be on the team. She turned over to Harry to see the said boy red in the face just inches from Harry's, who had to take a step back hastily.

"That girl didn't really try." McLaggen said menacingly. "She gave him an easy save."

"Rubbish, that was the one he nearly missed." Harry said coldly.

AJ narrowed her eyes and walked over towards them, thrusting the broom and Bludger into one of the student's arms, watching McLaggen take a step nearer to Harry, who stood his ground this time.

"Give me another go."

"No." Harry told him simply. "You've had your go. You saved four. Ron saved five. Ron's Keeper, he won it fair and square. Get out of my way."

AJ stood next to Harry, her arms crossed over her chest. "Is there a problem here?" She asked coldly, seeing that McLaggen wanted to punch Harry.

McLaggen sneered at her before storming away, growling what sounded like threats to thin air. The tension eased as Harry turned to AJ.

"He wouldn't have dared hit me, you know."

AJ shrugged. "I wished he did, so I can hit him back." She looked up at him with a smirk. "I'm just glad Ron's on the team and not him."

Harry laughed and put an arm around her shoulders, steering her over to the new team. "Me too."

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--Front of Hogwarts—

Mia watch as Hagrid come around with the same horseless carriage. He opened the door and got out, looking down at the girl with bushy, knitted eyebrows.

"Ye sure ye want to leave, lass?" He asked confused.

"No, but I have to." Mia replied with a sigh.

Hagrid shrugged solemnly. "Let's go than."

Mia was about to get in when a voice stopped her.

"Mia!"

Mia turned around to see Ivan stop before her. Mia smiled sadly at him, almost forgetting to say goodbye to him.

"Why are you leaving? Is everything alright?" Ivan asked worriedly.

Mia sighed and placed a hand on his cheek before leaning forward and kissing his other cheek.

"Thank you for being a good friend, Ivan." She told him once she stood back. "But it's time for me to go. Goodbye."

Mia turned and entered the carriage, followed by Hagrid. As soon as he closed the door, the carriage begun to move, Ivan watching it in anger.

"Damn it! There goes the plan." He muttered under his breath.

He turned away sharply as soon as the carriage left the gates of Hogwarts. Mia stroke Harmony's feathers, knowing that she hated being in the cage. Harmony hooted softly, nibbling his master's forefinger. Mia sniffed and looked out the window.

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-After tryouts –

AJ and Anubis were walking slowly down a cold, dank hallway, using what little light AJ's wand provided them and their keen eyesight to prevent them from tripping over anything in their path. She's been following a magical scent that smelled somewhat similar like Mia, but it seemed to grow fainter by the second.

"You're lost, master." Anubis stated, trotting alongside AJ as she turned down one hallway after another, getting more lost by the second.

AJ growled in frustration. "Must've taken a wrong turn by the potions room… well, there's where I made my mistake."

"Potions room, dungeons – I think that is where we went wrong." Anubis said, sniffing the ground. "This place reeks of rat and stale air; I can't smell our scent very well."

The shape shifter sniffed the air and smiled. "But I can, this way."

AJ turned back the way they came, but stopped suddenly, causing Anubis to crash into her legs.

"What is it now?" Anubis complained, rubbing his head.

"I heard voices." AJ said in a quiet, distant voice, looking back the way they had been going seconds before. "Go back to the tower and see if you can find Mia there. If I'm not back in half an hour, get Harry or Mia down here, alright?"

The now winged black cat looked at her suspiciously. "Why the Scared One, master? Is there something about him that intrigues you?"

AJ was thankful for the darkness, which hid her blush. "No! Of course not! He's the only other human who knows about me being a shifter. And Mia's my best friend. Just don't get caught by anyone when you have your wings out, I don't want to have to explain the potion I used or where I got the ingredients."

"Very well, Master Shifter." Anubis said, bowing to her before spreading his feathered wings and flying down the tunnel silently.

AJ shook her head and began to walk further into the darkness, her ignited wand extended in front of her. Soon, she came to the end of the hallway. At first, she only thought it was solid rock – a dead end – but when she looked closer at it, she saw the outline of a door, a wooden door for that matter.

Reaching down, the shape shifter turned the handle, only to find it locked. Swearing slightly, AJ racked her brain, trying to remember the spell to open locked doors, but there was no avail. Muttering a small incantation from her book, she tapped the door with her hand, smiling as it unlocked.

The voices began to get louder, and consumed her with their harsh whispers. Taking a deep, shaky breath, AJ placed her hand on the knob and slowly opened the door, nearly dropping her wand in shock when she saw what was inside it. The room had very high ceiling with a few pillars here and there. It was very spacious, lit with rows and rows of floating torches in the ceiling. All the walls had paintings; seven different scenery in all with each of the Seven Continents painted in their original habitat.

The shape shifter looked around the room the seven women smiling down at the girl. AJ couldn't help but turn in a small circle, taking all that she could of the beautiful room, wondering if she could do this to her and Mia's dorm.

"Welcome, child," – "I'm not a child." AJ mumbled loudly – "to our last resting place." Africa said, ignoring the girl's comment.

"We thought that you wouldn't find us in time." Antarctica teased but was also serious.

"What do you mean?" AJ asked confused.

"Wait," Europe looked around with a frown. "Wasn't there another girl with you? Your friend?"

AJ blushed in embarrassment, looking anywhere but the seven women. Asia closed her eyes before slowly opening them.

"She has left Hogwarts ("What?" AJ panicked) and seems as she will not be returning."

AJ shook her head and turned to go after Mia but Asia stopped her.

"No! Let her go. She would need this to find what she is looking for."

"Why don't you stop playing and tell me why you've been looking for me?" I have to go after Mia." AJ said impatiently.

"Do not let your emotions control you." North America said.

"That is why we ended up as we did." South America explained.

"Have you figured out the spell for our history?" Australia asked patiently.

"No, I haven't." AJ said annoyed.

"Close your eyes and listen to your heart," Australia said.

"Hear the words that muffled into your head," Africa continued.

"Choose the light rather than the darkness," Antarctica said.

"And remember to always count on each other," Europe nodded at AJ.

"Never lose the faith," South America told her.

"Never trust a pretty face," Asia warned her.

"And always watch out for the past will catch up." North America finished.

AJ frowned at the paintings, remembering each saying. "It's a freakin' riddle! I hate riddles! Mia's the only one who could solve them." AJ complained.

"It is time for you to GO!"

A wind throws AJ back towards the door, which opened, and into the dark hallway. She looked up just in time to see the door slam shut.

"Thanks a lot but I could have walked!" AJ said loudly.

"We will call you sometime soon." South America's voice echoed.

"That was weird."

AJ jumped at the voice and turned to see Harry holding up his lit wand.

"What are you doing here?" AJ asked confused.

"You've been gone for half an hour." Harry told her. "And Anubis had me follow him."

"It felt like only ten minutes." AJ turned to the door. "I guess time goes faster out here rather than in there." AJ thought out loud.

"Where's Mia?" Harry questioned.

AJ's eyes widen and looked at Harry. "She left Hogwarts! Come on!" AJ ran down the hallway.

"What? How do you know?" Harry ask, running next to her, while looking down at the Marauder's map. "Turn left here."

"Trust me, I know." AJ answered him.

**A/N: How was it? Please review and tell us what you think of it! Oh, and we won't update until we get more than three reviews, it doesn't matter what it says, as long as you review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Mia watched as Platform 9 3/4 became the only view as the Hogwarts Express came to a stop. She stood and took hold of her trunk and Harmony's cage.

"I'm sorry girl, but you're gonna have to get into your cage until we find a place to stay for the night." Mia told her owl, looking up at the rack.

Harmony ruffled her feathers and flew down into her cage. Mia closed the door and clasped the small lock. Sighing, Mia hauled her trunk out of the compartment and down the steps on to the platform. Mia stared at a tall, black man holding on to a trolley just a few feet in front of her.

"I told Mr. Dumbledore I don't need anyone to pick me up."

"I think he would have wanted you to meet me." He said as he walked forward.

Mia put her trunk on the trolley than placed Harmony on top. "And why would I have wanted to meet you, sir?" Mia questioned bored-ly, looking at the man before her.

"Because I'm your second cousin, Kingsley Shacklebolt."

Mia's mouth fell slightly down, blinking at Kingsley. "My mother's cousin?"

Kingsley nodded. Mia closed her mouth and just stared at the only family member close to her parents, thought racing through her mind.

"Why do you suddenly want to talk with me? Why didn't you just answer the many letters I sent you?"

Mia tried to enter his mind but Kingsley was able to block her off only just a bit. Letting her only read what he wanted her to read.

"**Just like your mother."**

Mia was taken back by this, wondering if he felt her trying to enter or if her mother had the same power as she did. Kingsley smiled knowingly at the teen before him.

"Your mother was always curious to know what others were thinking." He explained.

Mia sighed, biting her lower lip. "I best go find a place to stay."

"Um," Kingsley cleared his throat, not really knowing how she might take this. "You can stay at my place, if you like, at least until you want to go back to Hogwarts or some other magical school. We can catch up and I can tell you about your parents."

Mia scoffed lightly, not believing her ears. "Mr. Dumbledore asked you to take me in, right?"

"He only told me where to find you." Kingsley told her, getting worried that she might not go with him. "I'm the one deciding for you to come stay with me so we can get to know each other better. You _are_ family."

Mia eyed Kingsley, too many emotions going through her at the same time.

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–Dumbledore's office–

"What do you mean you won't tell me where she's at!" AJ cried, slamming down her palms on Dumbledore's desk. "My best friend is out in London all by herself and that Voldemort guy might be out there looking for her!"

"What! Why?" Harry asked, looking over to AJ alarmed.

"I can assure you, Miss Jasmine, that Miss Skye is perfectly well and safe as we speak." Dumbledore said calmly.

AJ's eyes blazed with fire, her jaw tightening to keep her from cursing the old man from the spells from her book.

"How could you know?" AJ asked deadly low.

"Because Miss Skye is with a family member whom she's been wanting to speak with for some time now."

AJ curled her fingers and sharply turned around and walked out of the office, Harry quickly going after her. Dumbledore sighed, shaking his head.

"AJ!" Harry called after the anger shape shifter. "AJ, stop!" Harry said as he reached out to grab her arm and turning her around.

AJ glared at Harry, scary him a bit, her rage radiating off of her.

"Why is Voldemort after Mia?" Harry asked carefully.

"Mia's mother was from a clan of assassins and they used to work for Voldemort until his fall, which the clan has been in hiding, never wanting to work with him again." AJ explained, looking about the hall in jittery.

"Why did they work for him in the first place?" Harry asked confused.

"From what Mia could find out, they didn't want to. They were forced to help Voldemort." AJ sighed and took his arm, dragging Harry down the hall. "Mia's mother was supposedly the strongest assassin, a power unknown to the others, and she could have passed it to Mia."

AJ stopped, letting Harry go, and turned to him. Harry saw the guilt in the girl's eyes.

"I need to find Mia, Harry, but I don't know where to start." AJ pleaded him silently with her eyes.

"Who's her family member?"

AJ frown, thinking what the man's name was. "I can't remember his name."

Harry nodded, frowning in thought. "You can use Hedwig to send Mia a letter." Harry suggested.

"I think that's my only choice I have." AJ said softly.

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–Owlery–

AJ just finished the long letter to Mia and started to fold it. Harry stood near the window, stroking Hedwig's neck, whom was sitting on Harry's right lower arm. He was staring out the window, watching the gray clouds roll across the skies. AJ walked next to Harry, handing the letter to Hedwig, who grabbed it between her beak. Harry looked down at the movement to see the letter.

"Take this letter to Mia Justine Skye, girl. I know you would be able to find her." Harry told Hedwig softly.

Hedwig hooted, spread her wings and took off out the window. The two teens watched the white owl until she disappeared into the sky.

"Are you sure Hedwig will be able to find Mia?" AJ asked doubt-ly.

Harry put an arm around the shape shifter's shoulders. "Trust me, Hedwig will find her." Harry assured her.

AJ sighed and moved out of his arm to go back to the Gryffindor Tower. Harry walked next to her, hoping Hedwig will be able to find Mia in time.

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–Kingsley's apartment–

Mia was in the living room, looking at moving pictures of Kingsley and his friends and family. He lived just two hours outside of London, the small town very quiet. Kingsley was in the kitchen making coffee, the rain that started just over half an hour ago pounded against the sliding doors in the living room, the only noise that could be heard. Mia moved from the mantel and just looked aimlessly at the simple room. It was small but big enough for big furniture.

Before Mia was a black leather couch, small stands that held candles in tall candle holders and more picture frames on either side. A coffee table clattered with paperwork was in the middle of the room, two arm chairs on either side. The curtains pushed a side to view outside the sliding doors were a blue and silver indicating that Kingsley was a Ravenclaw. Before the couch was a fireplace and two sets of five candle holders spiraling around the metal stand.

When Mia first entered the apartment, there was a huge gap and a table that seated six people barely in the middle as a counter separated the kitchen and the table. While to the left, passing the kitchen, were three doors that led to three bedrooms, all that had private bathrooms.

"I don't know how you take your coffee, so I brought everything out here." Kingsley said as he entered the living room.

He put down a tray that held two mugs with halfway black coffee, sugar, milk, French vanilla cream, and to Mia's request, chocolate powder.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Mia replied, sitting down on the chair on the left.

Kingsley cleared his throat and sat down on the couch. The two distant relatives made their coffee in silence.

"I'm sorry." Mia said at a length after a few minutes. "I'm just..." Mia shook her head, not able to think up the word she wants.

"You don't have to tell me. Dumbledore told me when you left his office to go pack about you and your friend." Kingsley said with a small smile.

Before Mia could say anything, a pecking sound outside the sliding doors, starling them. Mia turned as Kingsley stood and walked over to the doors. He slid it open to let a snowy white owl, which Mia immediately recognized.

"Hedwig?" Mia asked confused.

Hedwig flew to the coffee table, dropping droplets of water on the floor and table. Hedwig hopped to the edge of the table and held out the soaked letter to Mia. The said girl put her cup down and took hold of the letter.

"You know who it's from?" Kingsley asked, closing the door.

Mia nodded as she opened the letter, her cousin sitting back down. "This is Hedwig, Harry's owl." Mia told the older man.

She looked at the bottom of the parchment, as the writing on her name seemed to be too girlish, and tossed the letter next to Hedwig. She looked at the owl to see her a bit tired.

"You can rest a while, Hedwig. No doubt you've had a long flight." Mia stuck out her left arm, the owl flying to rest upon it. "I'm going to put her in my room with Harmony. I'll be back."

Kingsley watched his second cousin walk out of the room before picking up the letter. He quickly scanned it before putting it back in it's place just as Mia returned.

"I'll go find work tomorrow, so I won't be just lounging around here." Mia told Kingsley.

"I don't know where you will be able to find a job in the wizarding world. You need to have graduated from a wizarding school." Kingsley took a drink from his coffee.

"I was talking about in the Muggle world." Mia replied.

Kingsley choked on his drink, spitting it out into his mug. "What? Why?"

Mia finished her coffee and placed her cup on the tray. "Because I used to be a waitress for almost a year when I ran away from home and was low on money." She explained, placing all the coffee items on the tray. "So I would have a good chance of getting work as a waitress at a café or restaurant."

Mia picked up the tray and walked out of the living room and over to the kitchen. It was small but a good size for two people to move around in. Kingsley walked behind her and sat at one of the stools at the counter.

"I guess you're not the type to just sit around the house."

"Nope."

Mia put away all that needs to be fridge-d and started to wash the tray and cups that were used. Kingsley could only smile as he watched his second cousin wash the dishes, drying, and putting them away as though she lived here her whole life.

"So, do you plan in answering Harry's letter?" Kingsley suddenly asked.

Mia stayed quiet as she dried her hands on a cloth, not looking anywhere but her hands and the cloth. The mind reader sighed and looked up at the man sitting on the counter.

"The letter's from someone I wish not to speak with. I'm going to sleep, goodnight."

"Night." Kingsley called after her.

Mia walked down the hall and entered the door that faced down the hall. She silently closed it and looked at the room that she will now be staying for who knows how long. A door before the one she entered was a walk-in closet as a neatly cleaned desk was next to her. A king-size bed was before the desk with silky blue and silver sheets and the same combination of the canopy. Two drawers holding long candle sticks, which were lit, and several moving pictures.

Another door next to the bed led to a very large bathroom, one that Mia favored into picking this room. Next to it, blue and silver curtains were pushed aside, revealing French doors, the windows soaked with the rain, making it impossible to see anything outside. Harmony's cage hang from a holder on the left side, both Harmony and Hedwig sitting next to each other with ruffled feathers, trying to stay warm.

The mind reader sighed and went to jump upon her bed, lying on her stomach with her arms crossed under her head, facing the French doors. After a few moments of just the rain pounding against the glass and the thundering outside the only noise heard in the room.

"Do you think I should read the letter?" Mia asked quietly, looking over to the two owls.

Both owls flapped their wings, hooting and nodding their head at her. Mia looked back out the French doors, considering the thought of going to the living room and retrieve the letter. She sighs, getting off from the bed.

"I'm going to take a nice, long bath." Mia announced, walking in towards the doors. She pushed opened the door just slightly, turning to Hedwig. "When you're done resting, you can leave."

Mia than walked into her bathroom. As she did to her room door, Mia silently closed the bathroom door and took in her surroundings, a small smile forming on her lips. In the middle of the bathroom was a fairly large bath tub, big enough to fit two adults, as in the left corner, next to a pair of another French doors with a waist high railing and only two feet of room with thin, see-through, white curtains covering them, was a full length mirror with beautiful iron designs around the glass.

To the left in the far corner was a shower with glass walls and door. Just a few feet to the left of the shower was a small sink with a large oval mirror over it and a toilet next to the sink. Mia walked over to the bath tub and turned the hot handle all the way, than leaned down to cover the hole. The teenager than walked around over to the French doors and pulled the curtains aside. She muttered a single spell underneath and lit candles appeared all over the bathroom, illuminating the room with the orange and red color, while the mixture scent of vanilla and cherry filled the air, relaxing the teenager.

45454545454545454545454545

—Hogwarts—

AJ paced back and forth before the fireplace, wringing her hands together. Harry and Ron watched the girl as they held their quills to their parchment of their homework, while Hermione _was_ doing her homework, but annoyed to the shifter's pacing. The rain pounded against the windows in the Gryffindor common room, but the noise is drowned out by the noise of the students that were still in the common room, all waiting for dinner to come around.

"What's taking so long? She couldn't have gone far in this country!" AJ argued.

"But it started raining twenty minutes after Hedwig left." Harry told her.

"Maybe she got on a plan to America." Ron thought out loud.

AJ sharply turned at Ron and pointed a threateningly finger at him, her eyes narrowed. "Don't you even _dare_ say that around me again!"

Ron gulped, nodding his head fearfully. AJ sighed in frustration and continued her pacing, wringing her hands together once more.

"We didn't have enough money when we went to the Burrow. So she couldn't have gotten on a plan and left." AJ assured them, trying to assure herself as will.

"Will you stop pacing!" Hermione shouted in annoyance, looking up at the shape shifter.

AJ turned to Hermione to yell at her but the rapping on the window caught their attention. Everyone turned to see Hedwig rapping the window, desperately wanting to enter into the warm and dry room. AJ ran over to the window before any of them could get up from the floor they all sat. Hedwig flew to AJ's arm and ruffled her feathers, ridding of the water from her body. With her feathers ruffled, Hedwig looked at AJ sadly.

"I am sorry, but she did not read your letter nor did she write back." Hedwig told the shifter.

AJ's eyes shone with unshed tears. Hedwig flew over to Harry, settling next to him on the table. The trio and the owl all watched the shifter as she looked down at the floor, her hair covering her face.

"You might want to contact your brother, Ron, Mia wouldn't be coming back around her anymore." AJ told them, trying to calm her voice that seemed to quiver.

"How'd you—?" Ron started but AJ interrupted him.

"No letter, she didn't want to talk with me." And she ran up the girl's staircases.

The group heard the slam of the door before yelling in rage was heard from upstairs. The trio looked at each other with a frown, wondering what has happened to the two newbie's as those two seemed to be best friends in the beginning. Harry looked down at his half finished homework, his mind racing quickly. He had a feeling that it had to do with the night Mia told him everything.

45454545454545454545454545

–Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, 2 days later—

Fred sat on his bed, leaning against the wall, looking at some parchments that held spells and charms for new magic products. His twin was sitting at a desk, going over the paperwork for the shop and products being shipped overseas from all over the world. Although both twins seem to be in deep thought in their work, only one of them was really in thought into their work while the other thought of only a certain person.

The flapping of wings brought both twins their attention to the open window where little light from the barely parted clouds shine down upon the floor. Pigwidgeon was panting heavily, both twins seeing a letter between his beak.

"Wonder what Ron found out about Mia this time." Fred wondered out loud, getting off the bed.

George rolled his eyes, going back to the paperwork. Fred opened the letter, sitting at the edge of his bed. All was quiet, except for George's quill scratching upon parchment and Pigwidgeon's hyperactive hooting.

"What?" Fred yelled, quickly standing.

George turned in his chair, frowning at his twin. "What's wrong?" He asked.

Fred looked up at his twin with a look of concern and fear. George immediately stood, frowning with the same emotion as his twin.

"What is it Fred? What's wrong?" George asked, walking closer to his twin.

"Mia's left Hogwarts and AJ doesn't know where she's at."

"But she couldn't have gone far." George tried to reassure his panicking twin.

"She left two _days_ ago." Fred told him.

45454545454545454545454545

—Hogwarts—

AJ lazily flipped through the pages of her book, ignoring McGonagall's lecturing. The shifter have been patient with Dumbledore not telling her where Mia was, but the headmaster hasn't been seen in the last two days. As soon as that bell rang, AJ put her book away and went after McGonagall.

"Professor, can I talk with you?"

McGonagall sighed. "Make it quick, Miss Jasmine."

AJ jogged a bit to walk along side the older witch. "Where's Dumbledore? I _need_ to find and talk to Mia." The shifter said desperately.

McGonagall immediately stopped and looked around the hall for any eavesdroppers before looking at the teenager strictly. "Dumbledore is not here at the school." McGonagall blew air out of her nostrils, looking around once more. "I don't know when he'll be back. But I can assure you that Miss Skye is safe and sound as we speak."

McGonagall turned to walk away but AJ, quick as lighting, stepped in front of the witch, startling her.

"Tell me where Mia's at right now or I will _leave_ this school and go out to find her and forget the whole deal of protecting Harry and his friends!" AJ said through gritted teeth, her voice lowering to a deadly whisper.

The Transfiguration teacher set her jaw, never had anyone talked to her so. But she couldn't let the shifter go off without protecting Harry and his friends. Sighing in irritation, McGonagall glared at the girl before her.

"She's with Kingsley Shacklebolt in a town called Fox Lake. It's two hours west of London."

AJ looked around before taking a step closer. "Give me the address, I have to talk with her." McGonagall was about to object but AJ spoke up. "I'll go on a weekend and I'll take Harry and his friends with me. Please."

McGonagall sighed. "You must wait for Dumbledore to come back and give you permission. I'm sorry."

And the Transfiguration walked on, leaving the shape shifter to look at the trio standing only a few ways from where McGonagall stood.

"What did you mean protect Harry and his friends?" Ron asked curiously.

AJ looked at them all, holding Harry's intense green eyes the longest. Turning sharply, AJ walked away, not wanting to explain anything to them at the moment.

45454545454545454545454545

The days quickly passed by for almost everyone. The first Hogsmeade trip has finally come and AJ was semi excited to visit the village (in broad daylight that is) and what kind of shops they have. It was a stormy morning when the shifter entered back to the room with Anubis. The shape shifter went right over to her trunk, gathered some clothes and walked out of the room to the bathrooms to take a long, hot shower.

Once she was dried and dressed, AJ went down to the common room and sat at the couch, watching the flames in the fireplace. The morning continued to pass quickly into the day and AJ's thoughts deepened every hour. But a yell coming from the sixth year's boy dormitory brought AJ back to reality. The shifter moved as quick as lightning, her wand already out, and ran all the way up the stairs and burst into the room, ready to curse any enemy intruding.

But what met her sight made her laugh so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks and her side hurt. Ron was dangling upside down in mid air as though an invisible hook had hoisted him up by the ankle. Harry was riffling through his _Advance Potion-Making_ in panic, while Dean and Seamus roared with laughter, and Neville was picking himself up from the floor. Suddenly, there was a flash of light and Ron fell in a heap onto his mattress.

"Sorry." Harry said weakly.

Dean, Seamus, and AJ continued to roar with laughter, Neville lying on his stomach on top of his bed.

"Tomorrow," Ron said in a muffled voice, "I'd rather you set the alarm clock."

This only made the shifter and the two other boys laugh harder, AJ sliding down against the doorframe. Harry and Neville looked over to AJ confused and curiously.

"What are you doing here, AJ?" Harry asked.

AJ breathe several times to calm herself, standing back up right. "I heard yelling and thought someone was in trouble." Sighing, AJ turned. "See you guys downstairs." She told them before closing the door.

45454545454545454545454545

—Great Hall—

Once Harry, AJ, and Ron sat down or breakfast, Ron immediately told Hermione – and anyone whoever cared to listen – of what happened that morning. And as usual, Hermione begun to protest as the spell came from the Half-blood Prince.

"It was a laugh!" Ron said, pouring ketchup on his sausages. "Just a laugh, Hermione, that's all!"

"Dangling people upside down by the ankle?" Hermione said with a frown. "Who puts their time and energy into making up spells like that?"

AJ could only roll her eyes as Ron continued to argue with Hermione.

"Fred and George, it's their kind of thing. And er—"

"My dad." Harry said suddenly.

"What?" Ron and Hermione asked in unison, confused.

"My dad used this spell." Harry explained. "I — Lupin told me."

AJ narrowed her eyes at him, catching the bit of fib. Harry cleared his throat, shifting a bit as he felt AJ's intense gaze on him.

"Maybe your dad did use it, Harry," Hermione started. "But he's not the only one. We've seen a whole bunch of people use it, in case you've forgotten. Dangling people in the air. Making them float along, asleep, helpless."

AJ was about to argue but Ron beat her to it.

"That was different." He said robustly. "They were abusing it. Harry and his dad were just having a laugh. You don't like the Prince, Hermione," Ron added, pointing a sausage at her sternly. "Because he's better than you at Potions—"

"It's got nothing to do with that!" Hermione said, her cheeks reddening.

"Yeah, that's why you're turning red." AJ said, causing Hermione to turn even redder, Harry and Ron stifling their laughter.

Before Hermione could say a word, McGonagall walked up next to AJ.

"I've just received word from Dumbledore." She whispered. "You, Harry, Ron, and Hermione are to go to the Three Broomsticks and floo to this address." McGonagall handed the shifter a folded parchment. "Madam Rosmerta is already expecting you. Leave now so no one will notice you." And with that, McGonagall walked away.

AJ immediately stood up. "I don't care if you come or not but I'm leaving now." And she walked away.

Harry quickly stood and walked after the shifter, the other two immediately going after him. Filch was already at the door and check out their names as they came closer and begun checking them with his Secrecy Sensor.

"What's does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff _out_?" Ron demanded, eyeing the long, thin Secrecy Sensor with apprehension. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back _in_?"

This earned his cheek a few extra jabs with the sensor. The four of them walked towards the village, which was cold and windy from the bitter wind of October. They wrapped their scarf over their lower faces, the exposed part soon feeling both raw and numb. Finally, they reached the village, thanks to AJ, and hurried towards the Three Broomsticks. The street was not very busy, no one really lingering to chat, just hurrying towards their destinations. The only exception were two men a little ahead of them, standing just outside their own destination.

One was very tall and think; squinting through his rain-washed glasses, which Harry recognized as the barman from Hog's Head, the other Hogsmeade pub. As they drew closer, the barman drew his cloak more tightly around his neck and walked away, leaving the shorter man to fumble with something in his arms. They were barely feet from him when Harry realized who the man was.

"Mundungus!" Harry cried.

The squat, bandy-legged man with long, straggly, ginger hair jumped and dropped an ancient suitcase, which burst opened, releasing what looked like the entire contents of a junk shop window.

"Oh, 'ello, 'Arry." Mundungus Fletcher said with a most unconvincing stab at airiness. "Well, don't let me keep ya."

"Yes, we _have_ to go." AJ muttered.

Mundungus began scrabbling on the ground to retrieve the contents of his suitcase with every appearance of a man eager to be gone.

"Are you selling this stuff?" Harry asked, watching Mundungus grab an assortment of grubby-looking objects from the ground.

"Oh, well, gotta scrape a living." Mundungus told them. "Gimme that!"

Ron had stooped down and picked up something silver.

"Hang on," Ron said slowly. "This looks familiar—"

"Thank you!" Mundungus said, snatching the goblet out of Ron's hand and stuffing it back into the case. "Well, I'll see you all – OUCH!"

AJ was taken back as Harry pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, Harry had pulled out his wand.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed.

"Whoa — Hey!" AJ looked from Harry's angry face to the scared looking face of Mundungus.

"You took that from Sirius' house!" Harry said, almost nose to nose with the man. "That had the Black family crest on it."

"I – no – what – ?" Spluttered Mundungus, who was slowly turning purple.

"What did you do, go back the night he died and strip the place?" Harry snarled.

"I – no – "

"Give it to me!" Harry nearly yelled.

"Harry, you mustn't!" Hermione shrieked as Mundungus was starting to turn blue.

AJ quickly launched forward and prying Harry off the man before he suffocated or something else happened. Harry struggled with AJ's grip, but the shifter didn't let him go. Mundungus gasped and spluttered before seizing his fallen case then Disapparated. AJ let the boy go, quickly moving out of the way. Harry swore at the top of his voice, spinning on the spot to see where Mundungus had gone.

"COME BACK, YOU THIEVING – !"

"There's no point, Harry."

Everyone turned to see a witch with mousy hair wet with sleet. AJ quirked an eyebrow at the woman, never seeing her before.

"Mundungus will probably be in London by now. There's no point yelling." She told Harry.

"He's nicked Sirius' stuff! Nicked it!"

"Yes, but still," The woman said, who seemed perfectly untroubled by this piece of information. "You should get out of the cold." She than turned to AJ and smiled ghostly. "You must be Amarna Jasmine. I'm Tonks."

"It's AJ." AJ told her, shaking her hand. "Can we go? I _really_ want to talk with Mia." She asked the trio.

"Yeah, lets go." Harry said, feeling guilty for taking a bit long. "See you again soon, Tonks."

Once inside the Three Broomsticks, the warm air warmed them all. AJ looked around the pub, wondering who this Madam Rosmerta person was. Than a curvy sort of woman with a pretty face walked up to the group, looking a bit anxious, so it seems, but nonetheless, she was smiling at the group.

"You must be AJ. Follow me dearies, I got a room for you all to floo from and to."

She led them over to a staircase not to far from the entrance and up the stairs. Madam Rosmerta opened a third door from the right.

"No one will be bothering this room until you come back." She told them as the teenagers all walked inside.

She closed the door, the teens turning around. AJ raised a curious eyebrow, looking about the fairly small room.

"I must confess, how the heck do you floo?" She asked them confused.

"I'll go first." Hermione said, walking over to the fireplace.

She took a handful of floo powder from the flowerpot on the side and turned to AJ.

"What's the address?" Hermione asked.

AJ took out the piece of parchment. "Kingsley Shacklebolt, House number Ten, White Waterfalls." AJ read out loud and looked up.

Hermione entered the fireplace and said the address before thrusting down the powder. Emerald green flames flared up, covering Hermione, then died down.

"Great." AJ muttered before looking at both boys. "You know the address, right?"

They nodded, both wearing amused smirks. AJ made a face at them before turning to the fireplace. She took a handful of powder and looked at the fireplace. Inhaling deeply, AJ stepped inside and turned to the boys. She said the address and thrust down the powder. AJ's head spinned as fireplaces rushed before her, mounts on top of mounts of magic filling the shifter's nose, making her sneeze like crazy.

Finally, AJ fell on to the floor, sneezing still. Hermione helped her up, but not before being tackled down to the floor by Harry, who was thrust out of the fireplace.

"Mind getting off before Ron comes?" AJ asked, the sneezing finally stopping.

"Sorry." Harry muttered, getting up.

He helped AJ and moved just in time for Ron to be thrust out of the fireplace. Everyone dusted the soot out of their clothes before looking up. Kingsley was sitting on the long couch facing them, a cup of coffee in hand.

"Where is she?" AJ asked before anyone could say anything.

"Went to the store real quick, she should be coming home soon." Kingsley told her. "Sit and have some hot chocolate."

The three older teens sat down, each taking a cup of hot chocolate. But AJ went to pacing in front of the fireplace instead.

"How's she been?" AJ asked, wanting to know.

"Good. She's going to a Muggle school for the past month and has learned greatly about her parents and her mother's clan."

AJ suddenly stopped and turned to the older wizard. "Is she happy here?"

Kingsley sighed, looking down into his cup, slightly shaking his head. "She may seem to but I know deep down she would like to go back to Hogwarts." He chuckled, looking at the youngest teen. "But she's as stubborn as my cousin."

AJ slightly smiled, knowing full well Mia was a bit stubborn. Suddenly, the door opened and closed, followed by a voice.

"Hey Kingsley, they didn't have any—" Mia cut herself off as soon as she entered the living room.

Both she and AJ tensed up greatly at the sight of each other. Everyone felt the tension in the room and between the two girls. The trio and the shifter took in their mind reader friend as she seemed to have changed her appearance over the past month. Mia's hair has grown to the middle of her back and instead of just red highlights her whole hair was dyed red and curled at the ends. Her eyes were no longer aqua or her original light blue color but gray. She wore black baggy cargo pants and a tube top that showed off her pierced belly button. Mia even had a more golden skin complexion.

"What are you guys doing here? How'd you find me?" Mia asked stiffly, her face expressionless.

The trio and Kingsley looked back and forth between the two girls. Harry spoke up instead, believing it was more safer that way.

"We were worried, Mia. You never wrote back and we didn't know if you were still in London or not." Harry said softly.

"I'm not planning on going back to Hogwarts, so I didn't need to write to anyone." Mia explained.

"But don't you want to learn more magic?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I'll probably go to another school. A closer one." Mia told them.

"But Hogwarts' the best school!" Ron exclaimed. "It's the safest at this point."

Mia shook her head. "I need to put away these groceries."

She turned and was about to walk to the kitchen when a voice stopped her.

"I'm sorry!" AJ said softly. She inhaled shakily. "I'm sorry, you were right to tell him everything."

Mia slowly turned around and stared at AJ. She just simply stared at the shifter, trying to figure out if she was really telling the truth without entering her head. Finally, Mia spoke up.

"I didn't tell him everything."

Both teens faintly smiled at each other, Mia walking towards the kitchen. Kingsley turned to them, a smile on his own face.

"I hope you don't mind, but we're going to Diagon Alley. Mia needs a few supplies."

"Not a problem." They said in unison.

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. With the whole Christmas thing, I was working almost everyday but Sundays, so I usually slept or helped around the house. I hope you like this chapter, I made it extra long for you guys. Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

—Diagon Alley—

"So you're given this riddle a _month_ ago and you haven't figured it out yet?" Mia asked as they headed towards Flourish and Blotts.

"I hate riddles." AJ complained.

"Will, if you write it down on paper, I could probably solve it in a few days." Mia told the shifter.

They were about to walk inside when Kingsley spoke up. "I'll get your owl nuts for Harmony and the dress robe you ordered."

"Okay, do you want the money to pay for it?" Mia asked, a hand on the door handle.

"No, I'll pay for it, don't worry." Kingsley smiled before walking further down the street.

"He's going to trust us to be by ourselves?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Mia looked back at her friends, opening the door. "He trusts me enough defend myself and my friends." Mia told them, entering the shop.

'_Without wands that is.'_ Mia thought.

"Are you still planning to go to another school, Mia?" Ron asked suddenly.

The said girl sighed, walking up the stairs on the left. She shook her head slowly, looking at the titles of the many books on the shelves.

"You can't go to another magic school." Harry said before AJ could say anything. He walked past the others and next to Mia. "With Voldemort and his Death Eaters on the loose, Hogwarts is the safest place there is."

Mia stopped at the top of the stairs and looked over the titles of the books. "It may be but Voldemort would want to destroy that school and if he finds me," Mia grabbed four books and looked at Harry. "Let's just say I'll probably be joining my parents."

She walked downstairs and over to the counter. A plump witch with chin-length, blonde hair behind the counter smiled at the mind reader.

"Miss Skye, your order for the history on Wand magic and Astrology came in just this morning." The witch said; bring two books from underneath the counter.

"That was rather quick." Mia said, putting down the other books. "I would also like to buy these four."

"That'll be five Galleons dear." The witch smiled.

Mia undid the pouch hanging from her belt and paid the witch, who bagged the books and gave them to Mia.

"You dears have a great day."

"You too Madam Roschta." Mia smiled and the group walked out.

"Do you think that we should go look for Kingsley?" Hermione asked, looking around.

"But you're still vulnerable out there in the Muggle world." Ron told her.

"I need you to help me, Mia." AJ told her friend. "I can't fight off the past on my own."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but Mia beat to it first. "We're gonna met Kingsley at Madam Malkin, he's going there as we speak." The mind reader gives Hermione a look before looking forward.

"Do you think that Kingsley will be able to go to my brother's shop? They wrote to me saying that they got new products." Ron lied.

Hermione and Harry frown at Ron, while neither AJ nor Mia caught the small fib.

"Probably." Mia told them. "Even though that my cousin is a strict person, he's a _very_ mischief person." Mia smiled mysteriously at them. "You just have to give a bit of a _push_ for him to be himself."

Everyone smiled at their friend. "It seems like you and Kingsley have gotten very close to one another." Harry said.

Mia smiled genuine. " Yeah, we are. He's twenty-seven but he still acts like a kid once you get to know him. So, how've you guys been for the last month?"

"Good." They said in unison.

"Worried." Harry added.

"How about you?" Hermione asked.

Mia shrugged nonchalant. "Will, you guys already know that I've been going to a regular school – Muggle, in other words – and I've been working at this café that many teenagers from school go to. I've been studying the books from Hogwarts, practicing magic – thanks to Kingsley as he asked Rufus Scrimgeour – until I can go into a proper magic school or get some home school."

The four teens all frowned in confusion, speaking as one. "You can do that?"

Mia shrugged. "That's what Kingsley told me. I was surprise as will."

The group entered Madam Malkin's and saw Kingsley waiting at the counter. He turned and smiled at the group.

"Everything went well?" He asked.

"Yup. My books came in and I got the ones I need for the riddle and for my studies." Mia said, leaning against the counter, the others stood behind them.

"Good. Now maybe we can start your sixth year lessons now that you have all the books." Kingsley smiled, missing up her hair.

"Hey!" Mia muttered, fixing her hair.

"Ah, Miss Skye, I would like you to try on the dress robe just to see if everything fits on the right places." Madam Malkin said as she walked out from behind the cloth.

Mia turned her head and put down the bag of books, turning around. "Okay."

Madam Malkin gave the girl a folded dark blue cloth and pointed to another cloth doorway. "You can change in there dear."

Mia nodded and went inside. Everyone looked from the cloth to Kingsley curiously, who turned around to face the group.

"What's for the dress robe, Kingsley?" Harry asked curiously.

"Emmeline Vance is having a small party tonight and she wanted to Mia to go to get to know her." Kingsley told them.

"She said that she wanted to meet the daughter of Karya." Mia told them as she walked out from behind the cloth and walking over to the stool before the three-way mirror. "And Kingsley didn't want me to stay at home, doing reading and studying my magic." She said, looking pointing-ly at her cousin through the mirrors with a teasing smile on her lips.

Kingsley raised an eyebrow at his cousin. "Will, you certainly didn't object to it either."

Mia stuck out her tongue at him, Kingsley doing the same, making the group laugh. Madam Malkin shook her head, walking over to Mia.

"Quit it you two. Just like children, stand still dear." Madam Malkin told her.

Madam Malkin did all the measuring, pinned some areas that were a bit long or baggy. Madam Malkin quickly fixed them and stood back to admire her work. Mia looked over once and turned to her friends and family.

"I know Fred will like to see Mia now." Ron muttered under his voice, Harry and AJ nodding in agreement.

Mia wore a dark blue and silver silk dress that fell to her ankles, all the hems silver. The dress was long sleeved and had a collar that opened up to her collarbone. The front had silver buttons going downward from the upper left shoulder to her right waist. And around her waist was a silver belt that was untied. The sleeves bellowed out towards her wrists, as there was a slit on her right side that stopped to the middle of her thigh.

"It fits, Madam Malkin." Mia told the witch.

"Very well, go and get change so I can package it up." Madam Malkin said, pushing the girl slightly towards the cloth.

Ron than turned to Kingsley. "Can we go to my brother's shop after this?"

Kingsley shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not." He suddenly grinned. "Maybe I can get something to pay back Mia from the horrible joke she played on me a few weeks ago."

After paying for the dress robe the group once more walked down the empty street and into the semi-crowded store of Weasley's Wizards Wheezes. They started to look at products that the teens did not get to see last time.

"Mia?" A surprised voice yelled from behind the group.

Everyone turned and Mia was crushed into a tight hug, dropping her bag of books and box of dress robe. Her vision was clouded by red hair and the smell of potions filled her nose.

"I thought I'll never see you again! Ron said you left Hogwarts and possibly London!" Fred finally pulled back, holding Mia by her arms.

"No, I'm still here but, yeah, I left Hogwarts." Mia told him, blushing lightly.

Seeing this, both Kingsley and AJ coughed, holding back their smiles. Mia turned her head, narrowing her eyes in a warning glare at them. The mind reader faced Fred once more, smiling slightly.

"So… what new products have you made?"

Fred frowned. "What new products?"

Mia raised both her eyebrows in surprise, scoffing slightly. She turned her head to Ron, who was chuckling nervously, glaring hard at him.

"He was desperate to see you again!" Ron cried in a frantic defense.

Both Fred and Mia blushed furiously, as they both glared at Ron. Mia turned to Fred, her eyes curious to know.

"Were you really?" Mia asked in a low voice.

Fred was as red as his hair, looking anywhere but Mia, dropping his hands to his sides. He cleared his throat and looked at Mia.

"Mr. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, there's a customer here looking for—" Verity was interrupted by Fred.

"I'll help you, Verity. Show them around, will you George?" And Fred followed the young witch.

"He so likes her." AJ muttered to Kingsley, who nodded while trying not to laugh.

**45454545454545454545454545**

After spending almost half an hour at the twin's shop, it was time for both four teenagers and the two cousins to go back to their rightfully places.

"We should be getting back to Hogsmeade." Hermione stated after George went to show them around.

"Yeah, the weather's probably gotten worse by now." Harry replied. "We can get back through the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron."

AJ winced, not really wanting to have to Floo again.

"So I guess I'll see you guys sometime soon?" Mia asked as the group exited the building, after saying a quick goodbye to Fred (who was still quite embarrassed) and George.

"Hopefully, but I really don't want to use the Floo powder again." AJ stated, causing all present to chuckle.

"But it's the only way as none of you guys can't Apparate until you're seventeen." Kingsley said with a shrug.

As soon as they reached the wall that hidden both Diagon Alley and the _Leaky Cauldron_, Kingsley took out his wand and begun to tap in the right places.

"And when can we learn this 'Apparate'?" AJ asked anxiously.

The brick wall parted into an archway, Kingsley leading the teenagers inside the empty _Leaky Cauldron_.

"When we're seventeen." The three older teens and Mia said in unison.

AJ huffed, crossing her arms in frustration. Kingsley held up a hand at Tom, who looked up hopefully.

"Sorry Tom, but we just need to use the fireplace." Kingsley told him.

Tom nodded, his face falling. Kingsley turned to the fireplace and looked at the four teenagers.

"You guys have to go first." He told them.

Hermione went first, than Ron, than AJ, than lastly Harry. When the flames calmed down, Mia sighed and went forward, taking some floo powder from the pot on the side. She went inside, said the familiar address and threw down the powder. Mia quickly got out of the fireplace, dusting the soot out of her clothing and hair. Once Kingsley came out of the fireplace, he too began to dust the soot out of his own clothing and hair.

"Do you really want to go to another magic school, or do you want to go back to Hogwarts?" Kingsley suddenly asked before Mia could retreat to her room.

Mia sighed, looking back to her cousin. "Yes, but I don't want to put all my friends in danger."

Kingsley put his hands in his pockets. "And do you think that running away or hiding will solve your problem with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Mia shook her head, "I don't know what to do anymore."

Kingsley sighed sadly, watching his cousin walk down the hall to her room.

**45454545454545454545454545**

––Hogsmeade––

"I honestly don't know how you guys can stand doing that." AJ stated as she brushed the soot off her coat and out of her damp hair.

"It's not that bad once you get used to it." Harry explained as they walked out of the door and back into the pub.

AJ snorted and followed Hermione out of the entrance. (Seemingly following Katie Bell and her friend.)

_There is no way I'm going out flying in this weather tonight._ AJ thought to herself as she stepped out into the frigid air.

They began to follow Katie and her friend's voices, which were carried by the wind. They seemed to be having an argument about what Katie was holding.

"It has nothing to do with you, Leanne!" they heard Katie say.

As the group rounded the corner, the sleet came thick and fast. AJ growled in frustration, as it was hard to see and was already coating her hair, though she sniffed the air cautiously, there was a pungent aroma coming from ahead of them, causing her to almost gag. Harry's glasses quickly became blurry with the sleet. As he raised a gloved hand to wipe them, Leanne made a grab for the package Katie was holding. Katie tugged back and the package fell to the ground.

At once, Katie rose to the air, not as Ron had down, suspended comically by the ankle, but gracefully, her arms outstretched, as though she was about to fly. There was something eerie, wrong, about it. Her hair was whipped around her by the fierce wind, but her eyes were closed and her face quite empty of expression. The group and Leanne halted in their tracks, watching. Then, six feet above the ground, Katie let out a terrible scream.

Her eyes flew open but whatever she could see, or whatever she was feeling, was clearly causing her terrible anguish. Leanne started to scream too and seized Katie's ankles, trying to tug her back to the ground.

The group ran forward to help but even as they grabbed Katie's legs, she fell on top of them; Harry and Ron managed to catch her but she was writhing so much they could hardly hold her. Instead they lowered her to the ground where she thrashed and screamed, appearing unable to recognize any of them.

AJ could smell the powerful curse that was now on the witch, and she racked her brain for any mention of a counter-curse in her book. When nothing came up, the shape shifter ran towards them and tried to help hold the writhing girl down. Harry looked around, the landscape deserted.

"Stay here!" He shouted at the others over the howling wind. "I'm going for help!"

AJ took his spot as Harry stood up, still trying to think of a counter-curse that might be able to help. Harry sprinted toward the school, never had he seen anyone behave as Katie had and could not think what had caused it; he hurtled around a bend in the lane and collided with what seemed to be an enormous bear on its hind legs.

"Hagrid!" Harry panted, disentangling himself from the hedgerow into which he had fallen.

"Harry!" said Hagrid, who had sleet trapped in his eyebrows and beard, and was wearing his great, shaggy beaver-skin coat. "Jus' bin visitin' Grawp, he's comin' on so well yeh wouldn'–"

"Hagrid, someone's hurt back there, or cursed, or something–"

"Wha'?" Hagrid said, bending lower to hear what Harry was saying over the raging wind.

"Someone's been cursed!" Bellowed Harry.

"Cursed? Whose bin cursed – not Ron? Hermione?"

"No, it's not them, it's Katie Bell – this way…"

Together they ran back along the lane. It took them no time to find the little group of people around Katie, who was still writhing and screaming on the ground; Ron, Hermione, AJ and Leanne were all trying to quiet her.

"Get back!" shouted Hagrid. "Lemme see her!"

"Something's happened to her!" sobbed Leanne. "I don't know what–"

AJ resisted the urge to slap her to shut her up after taking a few calming breaths. Hagrid stared at Katie for a second, then without a word, bent down, scooped her into his arms, and ran off towards the castle with her. Within seconds, Katie's piercing screams had died away and the only sound was the roar of the wind. Hermione hurried over to Katie's wailing friend and put an arm around her.

"It's Leanne, isn't it?" The girl nodded. "Did it just happen all of a sudden, or––?"

"It was when that package tore," Leanne sobbed, pointing at the now sudden brown-paper package on the ground, which had split open to reveal a greenish glitter.

Ron bend down, his hand out-stretched, but AJ used her quick reflexes and seized his arm, pulling him back.

"_Don't touch it!_"

Harry crouched down. An ornate opal necklace was visible, poking out of the paper.

"I've seen that before," Harry said, staring at the thing. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it." He looked up at Leanne, who had started to shake uncontrollably. "How did Katie get hold of this?"

"Well, that's why we were arguing. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked all funny when she said it… oh no, oh no, I bet she'd been Imperiused and I didn't realize!"

Leanne shook with renewed sobs. Hermione patted her shoulder gently.

"She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?"

"No… she wouldn't tell me… and I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she just wouldn't listen and… and then I tried to grab it from her… and ––and—"

Leanne let out a wail of despair.

"We'd better get up to school," said Hermione, her arm still around Leanne. "We'll be able to find out how she is. Come on…"

"The sooner we get her to stop crying, the sooner my ears will stop ringing." AJ muttered sourly, the curse having put the shifter into a bad mood.

Harry hesitated for a moment, then pulled his scarf from around his face and, ignoring Ron's gasp, carefully covered the necklace in it and picked it up. AJ smiled slightly at his bravery, but mentally slapped herself for doing that.

"We'll need to show this to Madam Pomfrey." He said.

As they followed Hermione and Leanne up the road, Harry was thinking furiously. They had just entered the grounds when he spoke, unable to keep his thoughts to himself any longer.

"Malfoy knows about this necklace. It was in case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad. _This_ is what he was buying that day when we followed him! He remembered it and he went back for it!"

"He could have bought it then," AJ said, more so to herself.

But Hermione still heard it, though didn't say anything.

"I – I dunno, Harry." Said Ron hesitantly. "Loads of people go to Borgin and Burkes… and didn't that girl say Katie got it in the girl's bathroom?"

"She said she came back from the bathroom with it, she didn't necessarily get it in the bathroom itself—"

"McGonagall!" Ron said warningly.

Harry looked up. Sure enough, Professor McGonagall was hurrying down the stone steps through swirling sleet to meet them.

"Hagrid says you four saw what happened to Katie Bell — upstairs to my office at once, please! What's that you're holding Potter?"

"It's the thing she touched." Harry said.

"Good lord," said Professor McGonagall, looking alarmed as she took the necklace from Harry. "No, no, Filch, they're with me!" She added hastily, as Filch came shuffling eagerly across the entrance hall holding his Secrecy Sensor aloft. "Take this necklace to Professor Snape at once, but be sure not to touch it, keep it wrapped in the scarf!"

Harry and the others followed Professor McGonagall upstairs and into her office. The sleet-spattered windows were rattling in their frames, and the room was chilly despite the fire cracking in the grate. Professor McGonagall closed the door and swept around her desk to face Harry, Ron, Hermione, AJ, and the still sobbing Leanne.

"Well?" she said sharply. "What happened?"

Haltingly, and with many pauses while she attempted to control her crying, Leanne told Professor McGonagall how Katie had gone to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and returned holding the unmarked packaged. How Katie had seemed a little odd, and how they had argued about the advisability of agreeing to deliver unknown objects, the argument culminating in the tussle over the parcel, which tore open. At this point, Leanne was so overcome; there was no getting another word out of her.

"All right," Professor McGonagall said, not unkindly, "go up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock."

When she left the room, Professor McGonagall turned back to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and AJ, who was leaning up against the wall.

"What happened when Katie touched the necklace?"

"She rose up in the air," Harry said, before either Ron or Hermione could speak. AJ silently vowed to herself to stay quiet. "And then began to scream, and collapsed. Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?"

"The headmaster is away until Monday, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, looking surprised.

"Away?" Harry repeated angrily.

"Yes, Potter, away!" Professor McGonagall said tartly. "But anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure!"

For a split second, Harry hesitated. Professor McGonagall did not invite confidences; Dumbledore, though in many ways more intimidating, still seemed less likely to scorn a theory, however wild. This was a life-and-death matter, though, and no moment to worry about being laughed at.

"I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor."

On one side of him, Ron rubbed his nose in apparent embarrassment; on the other side, Hermione shuffled her feet as thought quite keen to put a bit of distance between herself and Harry, while AJ pressed her lips together in an attempt to not say anything.

"That is a very serious accusation, Potter," said Professor McGonagall, after a shocked paused. "Do you have any proof?"

"No," said Harry, "but…" and he told her about following Malfoy to Borgin and Burkes and the conversation they had overheard between him and Mr. Borgin.

When he had finished speaking, Professor McGonagall looked slightly confused.

"Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?"

"No, professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something, he didn't have it with him. But that's not the point, the things is that he bought something at the same time, and I think it was that necklace—"

"You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?"

"No, professor, he told Borgin to keep it in the shop for him—"

"But Harry," Hermione interrupted, "Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Malfoy said no—"

"Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!" said Harry angrily.

"What he actually said was, 'How would I look carrying that down the street?'" said Hermione.

"Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying a necklace." Ron interjected.

"Oh, Ron," said Hermione despairingly, "it would be all wrapped up, so he wouldn't have to touch it, and quite easy to hide inside a cloak, so nobody would see it! I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burkes was noisy or bulky, something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street –– and in any case," she pressed on loudly, before Harry could interrupt, "I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember? When I went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, I saw it there. And Borgin just told me the price, he didn't say it was already sold or anything—"

"Well, you were being really obvious, he realized what you were up to within about five seconds, of course he wasn't going to tell you –– anyway, Malfoy could've sent off for it since––"

"That's enough!" Professor McGonagall said, as Hermione opened her mouth to retort, looking furious. "Potter, I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr. Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where this necklace might have been purchased. The same is probably true of hundreds of people––"

"—that's what I said—" Ron muttered.

"—and in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year. I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge—"

"But—"

"—and what is more," said Professor McGonagall, with an air of awful finality. "Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today."

Harry gaped at her, deflating. "How do you know, professor?"

"Because he was doing detention with me. He as now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row. So, thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter," she said as she marched past them, "but I need to go up to the hospital wing now to check on Katie Bell. Good day to you all."

She held open her office door. They had no choice but to file past her without another word. As AJ walked slowly by her, she muttered. "Don't worry, professor, I'll look into this." McGonagall nodded curtly before closing the door behind her.

Harry was angry with the other two for siding with McGonagall and AJ for not saying anything at all; nevertheless, he felt compelled to join in once they started discussing what had happened.

"So who do you reckon Katie was supposed to give the necklace to?" asked Ron, as they climbed the stairs to the common room.

"Your guess is as good as mine." AJ stated with a shrug, although she had a few suspicions.

"Goodness only knows," said Hermione, glaring out of the corner of her eye at AJ. "But whoever it was has had a narrow escape. No one could have opened that package without touching the necklace."

"It could've been meant for loads of people," said Harry. "Dumbledore –– the death eaters would love to get rid of him, he must be one of their top targets. Or Slughorn —Dumbledore reckons Voldemort really wanted him and they can't be please that he's sided with Dumbledore. Or—"

"Or you," said Hermione, looking troubled.

AJ paled visibly, although she hoped no one saw it.

"Couldn't have been." Harry said, "or Katie would've just turned around in the lane and given it to me, wouldn't she? I was behind her all the way out of the Three Broomsticks. It would have made much more sense to deliver the parcel outside Hogwarts, what with Filch searching everyone who goes in and out. I wonder why Malfoy told her to take it into the castle?"

"Harry, Malfoy wasn't in Hogsmeade!" Hermione said, actually stamping her foot in frustration.

"He must have used an accomplice, then," Harry said. "Crabbe or Goyle –– or, come to think of it, another death eater, he'll have loads better cronies than Crabbe and Goyle now he's joined up—"

AJ nodded hesitantly, while Ron and Hermione exchanged looks that plainly said _There's no point arguing with him_.

"_Dilligrout_." Hermione said firmly as they reached the Fat Lady.

The portrait swung open to admit them to the common room. It was quiet full and smelled of damp clothing; many people seemed to have returned from Hogsmeade early because of the bad weather. There was no buzz of fear or speculations, however: Clearly, the news of Katie's fate had not yet spread.

"It wasn't a very slick attack, really, when you stop and think about it." Ron said, casually turfing a first year out of one of the good armchairs by the fire so that he could sit down. "The curse didn't even make it into the castle. Not what you'd call foolproof."

"You're right." Hermione said, prodding Ron out of the chair with her foot and offering it to the first year again. "It wasn't very well thought-out at all."

"But since when has Malfoy been one of the world's great thinkers?" asked Harry.

Neither Ron nor Hermione answered him, while AJ was pondering a theory of her own as she slumped onto the couch. What if the necklace had been meant for her? Katie hadn't met her before, so she wouldn't know to deliver it to. Draco could have been obeying orders to kill her off so Harry and his friends were completely vulnerable.

AJ was so deep in thought that she nearly screamed when Anubis jumped into her lap.

"Is there something bothering you, master?" Her cat meowed as he curled up on AJ's lap. "I heard about what happened to Miss Bell from the birds, full of gossip and bones, not very tasty in my opinion."

"Hmm, that's interesting." AJ mumbled in response, though not really paying attention. "I've got to find out the meaning of that riddle, and fast."

"AJ!" Harry yelled, startling the younger teenager.

She looked up at him and his friends to see them staring at her with concern, will, at least Harry was looking in concern. Ron and Hermione were looking at her suspiciously.

"Huh, what?" AJ looked at them.

"Are you okay? You seem out of it." Harry told her.

AJ nodded, standing up, much to Anubis liking. "Fine, I'm just tired. Night."

And AJ walked towards the girl's staircase, jogging them up two at a time with Anubis following. Once she was in her room, AJ quickly went to the desk and begun to bought down the riddle to send to Mia to figure it out as fast as she can.

**A/N: Sorry to have taken so long! We've been busy with school, and I with both school and work. Will, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

—Night—

Mia stood nervously outside a three story mansion with all the windows opened and lit with bright light. Many people were seen through the first floor, laughing, talking, and dancing, the noises all mixing in one, the music being the loudest. Kingsley put a calmed hand on his cousins right shoulder, making her somewhat relax.

"Don't worry; they only want to see if you're anything like Karya." He whispered.

Mia nodded, pushing her bangs from her face. Her hair was up in a clip, the strands from the clip curled, as her bangs curled inwards. She held her cloak tighter around her form, as Kingsley took hold of the badger knocker and knocked once, an echoing sound being heard. Taking a deep breath, Mia straighten her figure and smiled at a woman who opened the door.

"Kingsley! It is so good to see you!" She turned her gaze to Mia, placing a hand to her mouth. "My, you look so _much_ like your mother, did you know that?" The woman asked.

"Yes, may people have told me so, always mistaking me for my mother." Mia smiled somewhat forcedly, the pain of not knowing her mother still great.

"Oh, where are my manners? Come in, come in, please." The woman stepped aside, motioning the two cousins in.

The woman closed the door behind them, smiling at them. A house-elf came up to them, bowing lowly at the two.

"May I please have your cloaks?" It asked.

Both cousins shrugged off their cloaks and handed them to the house-elf, who bowed and disappeared with a snap of it's fingers.

"My name is Emmeline Vance, I went to school with your mother." The woman said with a smile.

"It's good to meet you, Mrs. Vance." Mia smiled politely, shaking the woman's hand.

"Oh, please, call me Emmeline, I feel old when I'm called by my surname." Emmeline waved a hand at the girl. "Will, come, come, many witches and wizards will like to meet you." Emmeline took hold of Mia's hand and begun to drag her into the crowd, looking over her shoulder. "I do hope you don't mind, Kingsley."

"No, go ahead." Kingsley told her, smiling at Mia, who glared at him. "Have fun, now."

Mia mentally groaned, not wanting to be left alone with many people who wanted to meet her. But she did not want to be rude and let the older witch drag her along the crowd. At the far corner, Emmeline stopped, clearing her throat to grab the group's attention.

"Everyone, I would like you all to meet Karya Shacklebolt Skye's daughter, Mia Justine Shacklebolt Skye."

Everyone circled around Mia, shaking her hand and talking quickly about who knew her parents best, how they were in school, and how much in love they were.

**45454545454545454545454545**

Half hour later, Emmeline walks over to Kingsley, smiling politely to her guest.

"Excuse me, but I do hope you do not mind if I take Kingsley away just a tiny bit." Emmeline said, taking hold of Kingsley arm and all ready taking him away from the small group.

"Not a problem." A wizard said.

"No, take him. All he's talking about is work." Said a witch with a teasing smile.

"Yes, we came to _relax_, something Kingsley does not know, apparently." Another wizard said teasingly.

"I know how, I just don't think I'll be able to relax for some time." Kingsley told them.

Emmeline drag Kingsley to the side, away from everyone. "Mia is just like her mother. Everyone cannot seem to stop talking to her."

Kingsley smiled, watching his cousin continue to listen and answer any questions she can from the wizards and witches still surrounding her.

"Yes, but she's far sweeter and shy than either of her parents." Kingsley took his eyes from Mia and looked at the witch next to him. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited Fred Weasley to come." Kingsley smirked over to his cousin. "Apparently there's some… _attraction_ there." He looked back to his colleague, who was surprise but smiling nonetheless.

"You playing matchmaker to your second cousin is _very_ sneaky, Kinsley." Emmeline said with amusement.

Kingsley chuckled, looking over to his cousin. "Yes, will, Mia deserve _some_ happiness in her life, right?"

Emmeline looked over to the young teenager being asked to dance by a wizard about a year or two older than her.

"Yes," Emmeline agreed, "she deserves some happiness while it lasts."

The knocker on the door was then heard over all the noise. Emmeline looked at Kingsley with an amused look.

"That's must be him now." She said, walking towards the door.

**45454545454545454545454545**

Mia looked around the room as she danced with the wizard name Joel. He was two years older than Mia and almost looked like Ivan. But Mia dismissed it as Ivan would have told her if he had an older brother. She only thought she missed Ivan too much that she was just seeing it in Joel.

"May I ask the fair lady's name?"

Joel's strong voice jerked Mia's head to look at him.

"Is something the matter?" Joel asked in concern.

Clearing her throat, Mia shook her head, replacing the shock look with a smile. "No, I just… You just reminded me of someone else who talked Shakespearian, that's all."

"What's this 'Shakespearian' you speak of?" Joel asked.

Mia shook her head, smiling. Before she can answer, however, a familiar voice interrupted her.

"May I cut in?"

The two teens stopped dancing and turned to the side to see Fred standing just a foot away, wearing a black tuxedo (dress robes to the wizards), and wringing his hands nervously. He was blushing as he stared at Mia.

"Fred!" Mia said happily, smiling widely. But her smile faded as she turned to Joel. "Um,"

Joel smiled forcedly. "You may." Joel took a step back, still holding Mia's right hand, and bowed, kissing the girl's hand. "My lady, t'was a pleasure dancing with you." Joel smiled once more before walking away.

Mia turned to Fred and smiled, hugging him. "What are you doing here? Is George here also?" Mia asked, the two of them going into the rhythm of the dance.

"No, George had to finish up paying for the products and such. And Kingsley invited me."

Mia raised an eyebrow, looking towards her cousin. "Really?"

Kingsley smiled innocently, raising his glass at her while Emmeline smiled at the duo dancing.

"I wonder what he's up to." Mia muttered more to herself then Fred, who smiled.

"Who knows but he sounded suspicious when he sent me an owl."

Mia turned back to Fred and blushed slightly as she noted how close their faces were. Although she was shorter, Mia noted that if she went on her tip-toes, their lips would brush against each other. Blushing deeply of thinking about their lips touching, Mia looked down, hoping Fred didn't catch her blush but that was unlikely.

"Have I mentioned how beautiful you look tonight?" Fred whispered into her ear.

Mia turned her head to the left, their faces just inches apart. The young teen's breath was caught in her throat, staring into Fred's eyes. They inched closer, their lips barely touching. But the duo jerked away from each other as many popping noises and both spells and charms could be heard being yelled out. They saw cloaked figures wearing white masks, sending all kinds of spells towards everyone, but they were mostly sent towards Mia's way.

Fred grabbed Mia's hand and the two begun to run to safety, Fred holding his wand tightly in his right hand. Fred pulled Mia down quickly; throwing a spell towards the one that was heading towards them and canceling it. Mia felt the power within her surging through from her stomach that then started to spread throughout her body. Fred stood, taking Mia with him and continued to run. But Fred was jerked to a stop when Mia saw her cousin not too far away.

"Mia, we have to go into hiding!" Fred told her in a hurry.

Mia saw one of the Death Eaters pointed their wand at Kingsley's back. Fear rose within Mia, mixing with the power that continued to grow inside her.

"Kingsley! Behind you!" Mia cried, wanting to run forward but Fred held her back.

Kingsley turned just in time to throw a spell towards the one aimed for him, canceling it. The figure turned towards Mia and threw a spell, the light green. Mia felt the power rising within her and was about to use it when she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her quickly and thrust her downward. Mia turned to see Fred move half his body over hers as the light rushed past them and hit the table behind them instead. Fred shield any spells coming their way while they were still on the floor.

"You okay?" Fred asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, you?" Mia asked in the same manner.

Fred nodded and stood, helping Mia also. But before Fred can drag Mia to some place safe, Mia moved her hand out of his and walked forward, facing all the Death Eaters, whom seemed to try and get close to the young teen. She closed her eyes and moved the power inside her to move all over her body until the wind power was strong enough for her to use. With her eyes still close, Mia saw the dark auroras and sent the force of the wind to knock them off their feet and their wands out of their hands.

Mia opened her eyes and staggered a bit, Fred immediately grabbed Mia's arms to steady her, wondering what has just happened. He noted that she looked pale, something that confused him greatly. Mia looked around to see that most of the figures have been caught thanks to her. But there was still a few fighting back, now more fiercely as they were outnumbered. One in particular turned to Mia and Fred, sending another spell, the light red this time, towards them. But it was canceled out by another.

The teens turned to see Kingsley next to them, anger radiating off of him as he glared at the Death Eater. The Death Eater stared at Mia before shouting a command and Disapparating, the others following suit. Mia's lips parted as she felt herself giving into the darkness thanks to using so much power. Her eyes rolled behind her head, falling to the side. But Fred was able to hold her against him before she fell to the floor.

"Fred, take Mia to the Burrow until I know my house and your shop is safe. I'll make sure George goes as will." Kingsley said in a rush whisper. "Wait; are you able to Apparate with another person?"

"Yeah, me and George have been practicing with one another." Fred said, nodding.

Kingsley nodded. "Go, hurry."

Nodding, Fred held Mia tightly around the waist with his left hand and turned. Kingsley rubbed a hand over his face, trying to calm himself before turning towards his friends and colleagues, who walked up to him to give out orders.

"Find out why they were after Mia!" He told them, holding back his anger.

He moved towards one of the Death Eaters, wanting to take his anger out on one of them.

**45454545454545454545454545**

—Burrow—

Mia whimpered as soon as the spinning stopped and hung on to Fred's robes, burying her face into his chest. Fred bent down and placed his right arm behind Mia's knees before scooping her up into his arms. He looked about the yard as he quickly moved towards the house he has lived until just that summer, holding the young teen effortlessly in his arms. Fred kicked the door softly to get his mother's attention.

"Mum, it's Fred and Mia, open up!" Fred whispered.

"Really?" Molly's voice was cautious and suspicious.

"George and I gave you a piece of candy that turned your hair neon pink." Fred said quickly, wanting to take Mia inside.

Locks turning could be heard then the door opened to a smiling Molly. But the smile quickly faded and turned to one that of concern as she saw Mia in Fred's arms.

"What happened? Where'd you two come from?" Molly asked, ushering her son in.

Tonks and Bill stood from their seats at the table at the sight of Fred and Mia. Fred moved out of the kitchen and towards the living room.

"Mia and Kingsley went to a party thrown by Emmeline Vance, and Kingsley invited me and George so Mia wouldn't get bored. But George couldn't go, so I went. We were just dancing when a dozen or so Death Eaters Apparated." Fred explained, placing down the younger teen on the couch before turning to his mother, brother, and friend. "I don't know what exactly happened but this wind picked up and threw most of the Death Eaters off their feet and that's when Mia went ill. Kingsley told me to bring her here."

Molly moved around her son and placed a hand on Mia's forehead, which was burning. "She's burning up. She must've contracted a fever after using so much power on those Death Eaters." She told them before standing and quickly moving towards the kitchen. "I can make up a potion quickly for that fever."

Fred rubbed his face and went to sit down, his mother's words not registering into his brain. He took hold of Mia's shoulders and carefully lifted her up before sitting down and slowly placing Mia's head on his lap. He smooth out her hair from her face, having it been knocked out of the clip. Bill and Tonks smiled at the scene, never having seen one of the twins act so caring towards someone as so. About ten minutes later, Molly returned to the living room.

"I need the potion to boil for five minutes or so before I can give it to her." She told her son, smiling as Fred continued to smooth out Mia's hair.

Fred suddenly looked up at his mother with concern and fear. "Mum, they were after her." He said softly.

Molly, Bill, and Tonks were taken back to see the fear evident in Fred's voice and face.

"Most of the spells and charms were aimed at Mia." Fred continued to tell them.

Molly opened her mouth but did not know what to say. But she was saved when there was a knock and her other son's voice calling out for her. Molly walked over to the back door and began to question him, just in case. When Molly returned with George, Tonks turned to her worriedly.

"The Death Eaters must've found out that Mia's alive and dropped out of Hogwarts. But how could that be?" Tonks asked Molly.

"Maybe there's an inside Death Eater who knew of Mia's mother and her background." Bill added.

"The only Death Eater at that school is Severus, but even _he_ doesn't know who Mia is." Molly said, shaking her head.

"What if they found out as soon as Mia used her powers on them, at the party." Bill said with worried.

"She could have exposed herself right then and there." Tonks added.

"What do you mean, use her powers? Mia didn't even use her wand!" Fred said confused.

The three older adults turned to the twins, haven forgotten they were there. George looked at them all closely, narrowing his eyes.

"There's something you're not telling us. What is it?" He asked, his curiosity peaking.

"Mia and AJ are Wiccan witches." Everyone turned to see Kingsley walking over to Fred and Mia, holding a cup. "Hold her up, will you Fred?"

Fred took hold of Mia's shoulders and pushed her upwards, turning so he had a better grip on her. He watched Kingsley place a small cup to Mia's lips and tilting it upwards slowly. Once Mia drank all of it, she coughed and leaned back into Fred's chest, feeling comfortable in that position. Kingsley kneeled, brushing away the hair that fallen forward onto his cousin's face.

"They are witches with physical powers. Mia has the element of air and ice, and is a mind reader." Kingsley looked up to Fred's surprise look. "And AJ has the power to shapeshift. She uses spells from the book she has."

Mia suddenly then groaned, slowly opening her eyes. "What the hell happened?" Mia then made a grimacing face. "And what the hell did you guys make me drink?"

"A potion to make your fever vanish." Kingsley told her, standing up.

"Eww." Mia whispered, looking around.

She noted that she was back at the Burrow. Though, she was confused as to how she got there, for all she remembered was standing in front of her cousin at Emmeline's house, then many colors spinning as one then darkness.

"I asked Fred to Apparate you to the Burrow while I made sure our house and the Weasley's shop was safe enough to return." Kingsley told her.

Mia groaned, placing a hand to her forehead as a headache begun to form. "Is everyone all right?" Mia asked worriedly.

"Many are injured but thank Merlin no one died, thanks to you." Kingsley smiled proudly. "But you used up too much power."

Mia sighed, snuggling further into Fred's arms, not knowing it was Fred as her mind was still hazy.

"I knew why they attacked, I just can't believe I didn't sense them before they came."

Kingsley smirked. "That's because you were _busy_ at the moment." He looked at Fred then back to Mia.

Mia frowned and looked back to see Fred, his face red, glaring at Kingsley. Mia made a small squeaky sound and sat up right, blushing deeply as she too glared at her cousin.

"You're worse than AJ." Mia muttered.

"And Ron and George." Fred added.

Kingsley shrugged. "I try."

Mia rolled her eyes and threw a cushion at her cousin, who caught it easily. Kingsley threw it next to Mia, before sighing, getting serious.

"We might not be able to return to the house, so we might have to go stay at the Black Manor for some time." Kingsley turned to the twins. "As do you two. The Death Eaters that escaped might've recognized you, Fred."

"I'm sorry to have gotten you into this mess, Fred." Mia said in a soft voice, looking down at the floor, her hair covering her face.

"You didn't have anything to do with it." Fred tried to reassure her.

"Yes I did!" She said before standing up.

Fred stood to stop her but Mia slyly moved around him and ran up the stairs, Fred looking after her. He looked to Kingsley confused.

"What did she mean? Does Mia know _why_ the Death Eaters were after her?"

"I think it's best that Mia answers that question." Kingsley told the teen.

Fred turned and ran after the younger girl. The others just looked on in amusement, smiling at the two of them.

"Seems like they're getting along faster then we thought." Tonks said.

"Pack up what you can, we'll leave to the Black Manor in twenty minutes. That should be long enough for them to talk." Molly told her them.

**45454545454545454545454545**

Fred found Mia in his and George's old room, lying on her stomach on his old bed. He walked on the left side of her and sat down, placing a hand on the middle of her back.

"You didn't get me into this mess, Mia." Fred told her softly. "_I_ got myself into this mess."

"What?" Mia questioned, turning to look at him, his hand now resting on her waist.

Fred moved his hand from her waist to cup her left side of her face, caressing his thumb against her cheek.

"I got myself into this mess the minute I saw you for the first time, when you entered this house with a sprained ankle."

Mia chuckled at the memory, blushing at Fred's words while he smiled down at the girl. He brought his hand down, watching Mia sit up, bringing her knees to her chest.

"Why were they after you, Mia?" Fred asked.

Mia looked at Fred before looking away. "I don't know." She said softly.

Fred took hold of her chin and made Mia look at him. "Mia, why?"

Mia sighed, shaking her head softly. "Because of what my mother was." Mia finally said, her voice breaking. "What the women in the family meant to both sides of good and evil." Tears blurred her vision. "That's all I can tell you."

Fred moved off the bed and sat down next to the girl, hugging her to him. "That's all right. But I don't want you to worry because I'm going to be there for you." Fred told her softy.

"No, don't." Mia said, looking up at Fred. "I don't want anyone else in my life to die because of what I am."

Fred lowered his head and kissed Mia softly, surprising the both of them. Mia held on to Fred's robes, wondering if what was happening was real.

"Too late." He said in a whisper as he pulled away. "I already made the promise."

Mia only laid her head on his shoulder, shaking her head. "But I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want anyone to get hurt." She whispered to him.

"Mia, in this war _everyone_ is going to get hurt." Fred said softly.

"Mia, Fred." Kingsley's voice could be heard, the door opening.

At that second, Mia pushed Fred away from her, having him fall to the floor with a loud thud. Kingsley stood at the door, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked from Fred, still on the floor, smiling at him goofy, to his cousin who was blushing as though there was no tomorrow, hugging her knees to her chest. Kingsley pointed at Fred then to Mia, opening his mouth to say something but he only shook his head.

"Fred, get all that you can, we're going to leave to the Black Manor in fifteen minutes." And Kingsley closed the door.

Fred looked up at Mia, who looked down at him shyly with her lips pursed, trying not to laugh. Fred nodded, pursing his own lips together in amusement.

"Yeah, I say I should get packing." Fred said before standing, looking around his old room. "I think I still have some clothes left here."

Mia slid off the bed and walked out the door, for some reason wanting to stay away from Fred as much as possible, although she longed to kiss him again.

"_This can't be happening. I have to stop it before it could get any further."_ Mia thought, sighing mentally.

**45454545454545454545454545**

—Hogwarts—

AJ returned to the room that Sunday morning feeling as though something bad happened. She quickly changed and walked down to the common room with her book. She sat down on the couch facing the fireplace and began to flip through it. But AJ wasn't able to concentrate as the feeling of something bad happening continued to grow stronger and stronger. Sighing in irritation, AJ slams her book shut and looks at the flames intently placing her book next to her.

Though, she did not have Mia there to talk with about this feeling, AJ felt like she needed to speak with someone. The shifter sat there in the calm, eerie silence, her mind blank of thoughts. AJ was then startled as a hand was placed on her left shoulder. She turned quickly, taking out her wand in the process, to see Harry holding up his hands in defense. Somewhat like what she did back at the Burrow.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Harry then frowned. "But that should be impossible."

AJ sighed, putting away her wand, facing the fireplace once more. Harry frowned even more, sitting on the coffee table in front of AJ.

"What's wrong, AJ?"

AJ turned her head to the side. "Nothing, I just can't wait for Mia to solve the riddle, that's all." AJ leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms.

"But that's not at all." Harry noted.

He sighed and leaned forward, placing a hand on her left knee, making AJ tensed up greatly, blushing deeply.

"What's wrong, AJ? You can trust me."

AJ calmed herself enough to stop blushing and looked over to her charge who _she's_ supposed to be protecting and worrying about not the other way around. She sighed, shaking her head. She opened her mouth but was interrupted by someone clearing their throats. Both teens turned towards the girl's staircase to see Hermione glaring hard at AJ, her arms crossed.

AJ raised an eyebrow at her. "Can we help you in something?" The shifter asked, feeling Harry quickly move his hand from her knee.

"Probably not." The group turned towards the boy's staircase to see Ron walking towards them, yawning.

He has seen the way Hermione glared at AJ when Harry placed a hand on her knee and interrupted them. Hermione opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the portrait opening. The four teens turned around to see McGonagall walking in, concern and worry on her face.

AJ and Harry quickly stood, speaking at the same time. "What's wrong, Professor McGonagall?"

McGonagall stopped before the couch and looked only at AJ and Ron. "The Death Eaters attacked Emmeline Vance's manor during her party."

Everyone's eyes widen, speaking in unison. "The one Mia was supposed to go?"

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, and your brother, Fred, was there also, Ron."

"What?" Ron cried.

"Are they all right?" AJ and Ron asked.

"Yes, they are but there was a bit of a problem." McGonagall looked at AJ.

The two stared at one another, as though they just started a staring contest. The three older teens looked back and forth between the two, confused as to what was happening.

"What kind of problem, Professor?" Hermione asked.

McGonagall looked over to Hermione, then to the two other boys before looking back at AJ. She reached into the front pocket of her robe and brought out a parchment. The older witch looked at AJ once more, handing her the parchment. AJ took it and quickly opened it. She skimmed it and looked at McGonagall almost angrily.

"What? Are you serious?" AJ shrieked.

"I'm afraid so." McGonagall looked up at Harry. "I hope you don't mind, Harry, but Kingsley, Mia, and the Weasley's are using your manor for a secret hideout for a while."

Harry shook his head. "I don't mind. They can stay as long as they like."

McGonagall nodded. "Good day." And she turned.

It wasn't until the Transfiguration witch was out of the Common room that Ron and Hermione surrounded AJ, asking her questions at the same time.

"What did the letter say? Is it from Mia? Or Fred? What's going on, AJ?"

"Guy's leave her alone!" Harry said, noting AJ's tight fists.

Hermione turned to Harry, glaring at him. "Why are you always defending her?"

Before Harry can speak, AJ quickly turned and threw the parchment into the fireplace. She took hold of her book and quickly walked towards the portrait hole, wanting to get out of there. Harry looked after her before going after her, looking over his shoulders.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Wait, Harry!" Hermione yelled after him but he took no heed.

"Leave him be, Hermione." Ron told her, sitting down.

Hermione looked back at Ron and huffed angrily. She crossed her arms and sat down on the chair.

**45454545454545454545454545**

Harry quickly jogged next to AJ. "Hey, what's happened?"

"This doesn't concern you." AJ said angrily.

"If it's about Mia, I think it does." Harry retorted. "Besides, I know you're guy's secret, I think I should know what's happening!"

Harry continued to follow AJ all they way out into the courtyard. It wasn't until by the lake did AJ stop and turned to Harry.

"The Death Eaters are after Mia. They found her last night."

Harry saw the fear in AJ's colored eyes. He never thought he would have seen fear in her but here she was, scared.

"If they find her again, they will _kill_ her. Do you understand? They will _kill_ Mia."

Harry sighed, looking down at the floor. "There has to be some way to protect her." He told her softly.

"But how?" AJ asked softly also.

She shook her head, sitting down on the floor, flipping through the pages. Harry sat down next to her, the pages turning black so he can't see anything.

"I don't know, but there has to be a way." Harry told her.

Later on that day, Harry stayed with AJ, trying to help her figure out a plan to help Mia. They both were informed by Ron, who later joined them, about Katie being moved to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Everyone knew about Katie's condition but that time but the details were confused and nobody knew what really happened but Harry, AJ, Ron, Hermione, and Leanne.

**A/N: Sorry to have taken so long! We've been busy with school, and I with both school and work. Will, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

AJ was pacing back and forth in her bedroom, pondering over the not only the riddle but also about a spell to protect Mia from getting hurt or found. Her cat sighed, his master had been doing this for the past few hours and he was getting impatient.

"_Can't we go now?"_ Anubis meowed loudly. _"Hedwig is probably wondering where we are!"_

The shape shifter picked up her book once more and quickly flipped through it before setting it down and sighing. "Fine, but we have to be back early, I want to visit the paintings before breakfast and see if they can help me."

"_They are dead, master, and they are paintings. I am not quite sure how you expect them to help you."_ Anubis said confused and annoyed.

"Oh you'd be surprised, my furry friend." AJ replied with a smirk.

"_Allow me to be."_ Her cat muttered, unleashing his wings and giving them a stretch.

AJ hesitated in shifting into an owl. "Maybe I shouldn't go out tonight, I'm sure if I just look harder I could––"

"_Could what?"_ Anubis snapped out of pure frustration. _"You haven't been out with Hedwig and I in days, all you seem to care about is your human friend, the Scared One, Quidditch, and that bloody book!"_

The shifter looked embarrassed. "Okay, okay, I get it. Jump out the window, I just need to grab a few things."

Anubis looked at her cautiously before flapping his wings and heading over to the slightly open window.

"_If you are not out here in five minutes I'll find a way to kill you, master."_

With that, the feline jumped out the window and flew high over the snowy grounds below.

AJ strapped her sword around her waist and threw on a thick, baggy sweater before also jumping out the window after her pet.

**454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545**

Monday morning came fast and AJ got absolutely no sleep whatsoever at sunset and knew she wouldn't get any sleep at sunrise either. At the moment she was walking silently down the halls in the direction of the dungeons with Anubis curled up in her arms.

"AJ, is that you?" A voice asked behind her.

The shifter spun around and dropped her cat in fear. Anubis barely managed to land on his feet and hissed at his master.

"Ivan, you scared me half to death!" AJ whispered loudly, not overly wanting to wake anyone or anything in the castle just yet.

The older teen chuckled. "Sorry about that."

"What are you doing here? Breakfast won't be served for awhile." The shifter looked at him suspiciously.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied smoothly.

AJ gave him a playful glare before smiling. "I needed some fresh air."

Ivan nodded, reaching inside his robes. "I was trying to send Mia an owl, but (oddly enough) any owl I send can never find her." Ivan sighed in defeat, holding out a sealed letter.

"You miss her, eh?" AJ said with a grin.

Ivan gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I guess so. But what about you? You are her best friend."

Anubis butted his head against AJ's shin. _"Stop talking with Romeo there and let's get moving before Mia or you become Juliet's!"_ He meowed loudly, hitting her again.

The shifter fought the urge to blush and turned back to Ivan. "I'll make sure she gets the letter." AJ reached out and grabbed a hold of the letter.

Ivan gave her a wide smile, his eyes boring a hole into her own. "Thanks a lot AJ, I see why Mia's best friends with you."

AJ's eyebrows knitted together in confusion but she didn't say anything more as she shoved the letter into her robe pocket and picked her cat back up. The shifter could still feel Ivan's eyes watching her every move until she finally turned the corner.

"Well that was strange," AJ mumbled.

In her arms, Anubis purred in agreement. _"I do not like him."_

The shape shifter rolled her eyes. "You don't like anyone who's not me or Mia or Harry or…"

"_I get your point, master, so shut your mouth."_

The two walked in silence all the way down to the room with the paintings. Looking at the end of the hallway to her left, AJ quickly entered the room, closing the door silently behind her.

"Have you figured out the riddle yet?" North America demanded almost as soon as AJ stepped into the room.

AJ looked sheepish. "No, I've been trying though."

Africa scowled. "Of course not. She's not even a half-blood because your daughter chose to have a child with one whose blood was impure. If only one of my descendants found the book, at least they had the decency of being pure blooded."

"Excuse me, I'm standing right here!" AJ all but shouted angrily at the picture.

"I know, now state your purpose for coming here and disturbing us." Africa replied.

"My friend, Mia, is in danger." The shape shifter explained, taking a deep breath. "I need a spell or––something!––to help her!"

Asia looked at her thoughtfully.

"You can protect her; you have my skills with weapons." Australia stated in her thick accent.

"Nonsense!" Europe shouted. "A spell is what she needs, with my expertise within her she can conjure up any spell."

"No, she needs to kill those who are in her way." Africa hissed to the arguing figures.

"Do you remember that time in China and the protection ceremony we had to perform, maybe you could use it." North America said happily.

"Will you all be quiet?" AJ groaned, her head swimming as the spirits of the Seven fought for control of the teen.

"Listen to the young one," Asia said wisely. "You had better get back to your room. Remember time passes slower here then out there."

"What about Mia, and Fred, and Kingsley, and everyone else?" AJ asked desperately.

"Look to our history, it shall reveal all, or it may reveal nothing and lead to the destruction of all you have come to love." Asia said quietly, smiling sympathetically.

"You are so doomed," Africa scoffed, a cruel smirk played upon her lips.

"You're wrong," the shifter yelled. "I will figure it out and I will save them!"

AJ ran from the room in determination with Anubis trying to keep up, she slammed the door hard angry at them for not believing in her.

Africa turned to the others. "Wonderful show girls, I think she bought it."

North America nodded solemnly. "Now she is even more determined to figure the riddle out then before." She said with pride.

**454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545**

AJ hardly paid any attention to her classes that day and everything went rather normally, though Ivan was beginning to creep her out slightly from the way he has been acting around her since Mia has left.

"_Let me guess, you're staying here tonight to work on that bloody riddle."_ Her cat stated, his tail twitching slightly.

"Yes, I have to prove to Africa that even someone without very much magical blood in them can be smart." AJ replied through clenched teeth as she began to flip through the book of _S.E.A.N._ for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day.

"_A little birdie told me that the Scared One is taking lessons with Dumbledore about someone named Riddle. Tom Riddle." _When AJ took no notice in what he had to say, Anubis sat down on the book and continued to talk. _"Voldemorte's real name is Tom Riddle you idiot!"_

"Really? That's interesting." The shifter shoved her cat off the page and continued to read.

Anubis yowled in frustration and took off for the window. _"See you later, master." _He spat before leaping off the windowsill and into the cool night air.

"Anubis, wait!" AJ called, running over to the window. Her cat flew back with reluctance. "Could you fly this to Mia, please? It's from Ivan. She's at the Black Manor, wherever that is."

The cat sighed. _"Fine, I shall try my best. But you must promise that you will come out tomorrow night."_

AJ smiled. "Of course. You think I like being cooped up here?"

**454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545**

—Next day, morning—

AJ walked into the empty (except for the trio in the corner) Common room with a sigh. This was just not her day. Ivan was still creeping her out; he was flirting with her for goodness sake! And, to make things even better, Anubis still wasn't back yet. It was most likely due to the thick mist hanging in the air outside, making visibility to near zero. But she had a feeling that it was more to do then the mist for the reason Anubis didn't come back yet.

Looking around, she saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione over to one corner whispering about something, and deciding to butt in on their conversation, AJ walked over to them, needing something to do.

"Hey guys," the shifter said, slightly gloomy, though she tried to hide it.

Hermione and Ron immediately stopped talking and were looking at each other uncertainly, but Harry turned to the newcomer and smiled.

"Having a good day, AJ?" He questioned.

AJ grunted as a response. "Terrible, thanks for asking. Why'd you stop talking when I came over? Some huge secret?"

"Uh, well, it doesn't concern you." Hermione stated, looking suspiciously at the younger teen.

"Does it have something to do with Harry's lessons with Dumbledore?" AJ asked bored-ly. The Golden Trio looked at her dumbfounded. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"How the bloody hell did you know about that?" Ron asked stupidly.

"A little birdie told me… per say." AJ said with a mysterious smile and a small shrug.

"Is it that annoying little birdie that dragged me to the dungeons a few months before?" Harry questioned with a pointed look.

AJ smiled proudly and amused. "Sure is."

"What are you two talking about?" Hermione demanded, glaring at AJ.

"It doesn't concern you." AJ mimicked, turning to Harry. "Are you going to have to find another chaser to replace Katie?"

The Quidditch captain sighed and rubbed his temples. "If she isn't back in a few days I'm going to have to."

AJ smiled sympathetically. "Sucks to be you, eh?" Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm off to search the grounds."

"Why?" Ron asked, equally suspicious now.

"Got to make sure they're safe for everyone, now don't I?" The shifter retorted, starting towards the portrait. But then she smiled and turned around. "Naw, I've got to find my cat, he got it into his head last night to go on a mission. See you guys later."

Turning, AJ waved at them from behind before walking out of the tower. Hermione turned to Harry with a glare, who waved at her to not start anything about his and her relationship.

**454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545**

—Black Manor—

Mia was in the kitchen, stirring a pot of red liquid—a healing potion—clockwise for Anubis broken wing and deep cut on his left back leg, whom at that moment was sitting on the table behind Mia. She looked down to her right at an open healing book, re-reading the instructions. Nodding to herself, Mia stirred once counter-clockwise before taking out the spoon and letting the potion to set for a while.

She turned and walked over to the table, Anubis meowing in pain. Mia sat down in front of him and sighed, scratching the cat's head.

"Ivan wants me to return to Hogwarts for some odd reason." The young teen tells the cat. "He says that AJ misses me and that he misses talking to me the way we used to."

"_I don't trust that boy; I sense he's nothing but trouble."_ Anubis meowed.

"He also tells me that AJ has been getting even more tense since I left, mumbling of something under her breath, no doubt trying to figure out the riddle."

"_That boy hears too much."_ Anubis meowed at the mind reader, wishing that the human knew how to speak and hear what he was saying.

"Ivan also said that Dumbledore hasn't been seen around the school for weeks and when he does come around it's only for a little while."

"_That's because he's been looking for something."_ Anubis said, swishing his tail in thought of what he has been heard the last few weeks.

Suddenly, Mia smiled and leaned forward. "Want to know a secret?" She whispered, Anubis meowing in response. "Fred kissed me." Mia blushed furiously, smiling widely. "But I've been kinda avoiding him since it's happened." She said sadly, leaning back.

"_Why? It's obvious you two like each other! Humans."_ Anubis shook his head.

Mia sighed. "I know, I know, but I don't think that it's a good idea that we should be together."

"_Why?"_ Anubis rubbed his nose into Mia's hand.

"If we get together, he'll only get hurt and I won't forgive myself if something should happen to him."

"_That's understandable."_ Anubis nodded his head.

Sighing, Mia stood and walked over to the Potion, picking up the spoon once more. Her thoughts left her, although Mia subconsciously knew what she was doing having memorized the directions. She had a feeling that she needed to return back to Hogwarts, something brewing within those walls that no one may not see coming. But in the other hand, if she did return she may be putting herself in danger.

Though, she is also putting those she loves in danger like the night at Emmeline Vance when those Death Eaters came to attack her home. One of them had recognized her and tried to get close to her but they failed thanks to her power, her cousin, and Fred.

"You've been avoiding me." A male voice said behind her.

Mia stiffens, taking the spoon out of the pot and turning off the fire beneath the pot.

"No I haven't, Fred, don't be ridiculous." She told him, opening the cupboard on the right. "I've just been busy with my magic and trying to heal Anubis."

Mia took out a small bowl and filled it with the red liquid. She turned to the right and walked quickly over to the table, trying not to see the person she was passing. She set the bowl down and Anubis immediately began to drinking it quickly.

"You have to drink that twice a day, Anubis, and then you can return to Hogwarts." Mia told him.

"If you're not avoiding me, then why won't you look or even speak to me?" Fred nearly yelled.

Mia closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She opens them and slowly turns, staring into the hurt eyes of Fred. She tries hard not to tell him the truth, knowing that he would only try to fight her to change her mind.

"Because it will only be harder to say goodbye." She tells him before she can stop herself.

Fred shook his head in confusion, furrowing his eyebrows together. "Goodbye for what?"

Mia looked over to the door to see Kingsley walking in, a curious eyebrow raised, wondering what was going on.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts." She told them.

**454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545**

—Hogwarts—

There were nasty rumors going all over the school the next couple days about Harry and how he chose his two best friends for the team. But that didn't bother him, having been talked about much worse before. Though the pressure was increasing to provide a win in the upcoming match against Slytherin. The Gryffindor team was out one night, practicing with their new Chaser, Dean Thomas.

At the moment, AJ was looking around, biting her lower lip nervously. It wasn't the pressure of the Quidditch match, it was that Anubis still hadn't come back yet, and she had searched almost the whole grounds of the school!

"What's wrong, AJ?" Harry asked, startling the shape shifter.

"Hmm? Oh nothing's wrong with me; I'm just –uh– a bit worried about the sudden change in chasers, that's all." AJ shook her head, waving a hand at him.

Harry wasn't convinced but dropped the subject as the practice started. Ginny shot a deadly glare at AJ, who raised an eyebrow in return. It was beginning to annoy her but tried not to pay any mind to it.

_Ooh, someone's jealous._ A voice piped inside AJ's mind.

The shifter sighed in irritation, having been used to this by now. _Get out of my head, Africa; mind your own business._ She growled in return.

Africa chuckled. _Fine, half-blood._

"AJ, did you hear anything I just said?" Harry questioned, looking rather annoyed.

The shifter fought down the urge to blush from embarrassment. "Sorry, I was thinking." She muttered in reply.

Ginny rolled her eyes. As practice went on, the Beaters, Peaks and Coote, proceeded to get better, and Dean and Ginny were surprisingly easy to get along with each other when in Quidditch mode (in AJ's mind)… Ron, however, was another story.

The opening season seemed to be getting to him and all his old habits began to come back. He was obviously suffering from nerves and severe lack of confidence. Every time he let in a goal (which was almost always) AJ would fight down the urge to yell at him. She hovered on her broom near the edge of the field, her thoughts straying to her cat, her best friend and…

_Whack!_

Ron's technique had become extremely wild and had punched an oncoming ball right into the shape shifter's mouth. AJ barely had time to wrap her one of her legs around her broom before she fell. Swearing at Ron (not out loud), she flew down to the ground, spitting blood onto the grass whilst she tried to remember the healing spell. Ginny had finally snapped and was now yelling at her brother (though, it was not entirely about how hurt AJ could have gotten), even though he tried to apologize to AJ.

Harry flew down to the ground. "Are you alright?" He asked, looking at the shifter with concern.

He jumped off his broom and kneeled next to the younger teen. AJ spat out more blood and groaned in response, seeing as she couldn't really talk at the moment.

"I can fix that." Harry told her, pointing his wand at AJ's mouth. "_Episkey_."

AJ sighed, standing up. "Thanks."

Harry nodded. "No problem. Ginny, don't call Ron a prat, you're not the Captain of this team—"

"Well, you seemed too busy to call him a prat," she this she glared at AJ, "and I thought someone should—"

AJ noted Harry forcing himself not to laugh, for whatever reason she did not know. She messaged her jaw, her muscles still hurting.

"In the air, everyone, let's go…" He told them sternly.

After this incident, AJ had started to pay more attention, despite the desperate need to figure out the riddle or the spell to keep safe those she love from harm. But even so, this practice was one of the worst ones they had all term. Though, Harry was acting cheerfully, nodding in approvals to some of the teammates.

"Good work, everyone, I think we'll flatten Slytherin."

The Chasers and Beaters left the changing room looking reasonably happy with themselves. And it was then that AJ realized what Harry was doing and shook her head with a faint smile.

"I played like a sack of dragon dung." Ron said in a hollow voice when the door had swung shut behind Ginny.

"No, you didn't." Harry said firmly. "You're the best Keeper I tried out, Ron."

"Your only problem is nerves." AJ said, knowing that was the direction Harry was heading.

But the shape shifter knew that Ron wasn't buying any of it and shrugged over to Harry before leaving the two older teens alone, needing to think. She was too worried over her cat that has yet to appear and of trying to find out what the riddle meant. It was obvious what it was saying but then again it could be a deeper meaning within it or referring to something or someone, AJ just didn't know who.

Not really tired, AJ set off to walking about the castle, feeling bored and alone. AJ was walking slowly down one of the castle hallways lit with torches upon the wall, wishing she had her annoying cat to talk nonsense beside her.

"Good evening, AJ." Ivan said, walking up behind the younger teen from out of the shadows.

AJ turned around and smiled slightly "Hey Ivan, what's up?"

The wizard looked confused and glanced upwards. "Uh, the ceiling?"

AJ laughed. _'Wizards.'_ She thought amusingly.

Ivan shook his head and looked at the teen before him. "So how was practice, I was watching you."

"Really?" The shifter was beginning to slowly get even more creep out then before.

"Yeah, you took one hell of a beating there from that Weasley fellow."

"It was an accident." AJ argued.

"Hmm," Ivan didn't actually pay any attention to what she was saying, however. "You want to go out flying tonight; I have an extra broom you could use."

That took AJ by extreme surprise and she just stared blankly at him. "Why?"

Ivan shrugged and flashed her a smile. "It's really quite nice out at night, there's a full moon coming up, you know. Would you like to?"

It was at this moment that AJ took notice to how close Ivan had actually gotten to her and she could feel him breathing on her face.

"I–I–I–I–uh–Harry! Ron!" AJ cried out.

Never in her life had AJ been happier to see her two 'friends' walking towards her. Harry had a strange look on his face as he eyed AJ and Ivan standing closely together.

"I've been looking for you two, got some questions about Quidditch." AJ lied walking around Ivan.

Ivan was watching AJ's every move while she nearly ran over to the two. "Maybe some other time then?" The older teen yelled after her.

The shifter turned around and walked backwards. "Uh, sure, I guess. Look, I'll talk to you later. Bye."

AJ quickly turned back around and put her arms through Harry and Ron's arms, literally dragging them away from the creepy teen.

"What was that about?" Harry demanded once the trio walked around the corner.

AJ looked at him oddly, letting the boys go. "Ivan? We were just talking."

"What are you two doing some other time?" He persisted.

The shifter growled. "What is this, twenty questions? We might sneak out and go flying, happy now?"

For some odd reason, Harry looked strangely jealous. Ron looked from him to AJ a few times in confusion and amusement.

"Look, I'm going to go up to my room and try and finish my homework. See you guys later." AJ called, running towards the portrait to the Gryffindor Common room.

Ron shook his head, smiling. "You got it bad, mate, you got it bad."

Harry glared at his friend. "No I don't!"

Ron only laughed and both he and Harry entered the Common room.

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AJ walked in through the doors to the Great Hall and was greeted by the whole Slytherin table hissing and booing at her. She smirked at them and took a bow causing them to stop in surprise. The shifter walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Harry, who was trying to get Ron to drink something. A few minutes later, Hermione paused on her way up the table.

"How are you both feeling?" She asked tentatively, her eyes boring a hole in the back of Ron's head, completely ignoring AJ.

"Fine." Harry said, who was concentrating on handing Ron a glass of pumpkin juice. "There you go, Ron. Drink up."

Ron had just raised the glass to his lips when Hermione spoke up sharply. "Don't drink that, Ron!"

Harry, Ron, and AJ looked up at her confused.

"Why not?" Ron asked.

Hermione was now staring at Harry as though she could not believe her eyes. "You just put something in that drink.

"Excuse me?" Harry demanded.

"You heard me. I saw you. You just tipped something into Ron's drink. You've got the bottle in your hand right now!" Hermione continued to accuse him.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Harry defended.

He was trying to put the little bottle into his pocket but AJ took it from him with quick fingers and put it in her own pocket.

"Ron, I warn you, don't drink it!" Hermione said again, alarmed.

But Ron picked up the glass and drained it in one gulp. "Stop bossing me around, Hermione." He told her.

She looked scandalized. Bending low so only Harry (and AJ without knowing) could hear her, she hissed at him.

"You should be expelled for that. I'd never have believed it of you, Harry!"

"Hark, who's talking." He whispered. "Confounded anyone lately?"

AJ raised her eyebrows in realization and turned to talk to Mia or Anubis, when she remembered that the two were gone. Sighing, she turned back around just in time to see Hermione storm out of the Hall. Reaching into her pocket, the shifter took out the bottle and examined it. Almost as soon as she uncorked it she knew what it was. That good luck potion Slughorn gave out months before.

"Nearly time." Harry said blithely, turning AJ's attention to him.

"I'll meet you guys there." AJ said to the two, rising from her seat, though the others either didn't hear or didn't care.

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Ginny was already in the changing room by the time AJ got down to the field. She glared at the shifter with such hatred that AJ could actually smell it radiating off of her.

AJ sighed in annoyance as she began to put her scarlet robes on. "Are you actually going to tell me why you hate me so much, or are you just going to glare at me whenever you think I'm not looking?"

Ginny looked surprised and looked at her in shock.

"Oh come on, did you actually think I missed your death glares during class, in the Common Room, in the Great Hall… okay, so pretty much everywhere?"

The witch refused to say anything.

"Fine then, keep giving me the silent treatment." AJ said in frustration. "You know what though? If you had actually given me a chance at being a friend, we probably would have gotten along just fine."

Ginny opened her mouth to reply, when Harry and Ron walked in, though Ron was rather pale and sick-looking.

"Conditions look ideal." Ginny said, ignoring both Ron and AJ. "And guess what? The Slytherin Chaser Vaisey –he took a Bludger in the head yesterday during practice and he's too sore to play! And even better than that – Malfoy's gone off sick too!"

"_What?_" Harry said, wheeling around to stare oat her. "He's ill? What's wrong with him?"

"No idea, but it's great for us." Ginny said brightly. "They're playing Harper instead; he's in my year and he's an idiot."

"They're playing Harper?" AJ repeated, looking at Ginny in disbelief. "They really must be desperate, he's one of the worst players I've ever seen!" she turned to Ron and smiled. "You're lucky, we might even win! Good luck out there."

Upon saying the word 'luck' she deliberately looked straight into Harry's eyes, causing him to smile nervously.

As the shifter walked out onto the pitch, she was greeted to tumultuous roars and boos. One end of the stadium was solid red and gold; the other, a sea of green and silver. Many Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had taken sides too. Amidst all the yelling and clapping, AJ could distinctly hear the roar of Luna Lovegood's famous lion-topped hat. She took her place near Madam Hooch, with her broom in hand, and waited for the game to begin.

**A/N: Sorry to have taken so long! We've been busy with school, and I with both school and work. Will, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

AJ pushed all thoughts from her head, thinking nothing but scoring and taking the Quaffle from the other team as they tried to throw it to one another. Zacharias Smith, the new commentator, have been saying awful things about Harry and letting four of his friends into the team. The shape shifter told Dean to throw the Quaffle as hard as he could towards the commentator's podium, which he did from the glare AJ gave him.

AJ rode hard and as soon as she was inches from the podium, turned sharply to the left, smacking Zacharias across the face (hard) with the end of her broom, catching the Quaffle. After that incident, the Hufflepuff player stopped saying rude comments about Harry, making AJ smirked.

It was soon a half an hour into the game, Gryffindor leading by sixty points to zero. Ginny scored three goals, while AJ scored the other three, both girls trying to out do one another in the scoring. Ron was saving every goal that was thrown at him by the Slytherin's, AJ believing that luck was literally on their side. They continue to score one after another, both AJ and Ginny head to head on the scoring.

The shape shifter threw the Quaffle into the middle hoop, scoring another goal for Gryffindor. She felt someone watching her, their eyes burning a hole on to her back. She turned around but saw everyone too busy in trying to knock each other off their brooms, while trying not to let the other team score a goal.

"AJ, watch out!" Harry's voice roared over the noise.

AJ turned and flew to the side, hanging on to her broom by her left leg and her arms, a Bludger passing just inches from her. She quickly nodded to Harry, who nodded back, but AJ tried to repay him back.

"Behind you Harry!"

But it was too late; Harper collided with Harry, hard. AJ quickly got back on her broom, making him miss the Snitch. This gave Harry the advantage to grab the Snitch, hurtling towards the ground.

"YES!" Harry yelled, thrusting the hand clutching the Snitch into the air.

AJ got off her broom as soon as she landed and jumped on to Harry, hugging him around the neck. Harry hugged her back, swinging her around before letting go. He kept an arm around her shoulders, while with his other hand clapped it on Ron's back. Soon, everyone has started back towards the castle, everyone cheering and yelling, supporting the Gryffindor team.

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Back in the Gryffindor changing room, the atmosphere was jubilant. All but six team members have quickly changed and went out to celebrate with other houses that were rooting for Gryffindor.

"Party up in the common room, Seamus said!" Dean yelled exuberantly. "C'mon, Ginny, AJ."

AJ looked over to Dean. "I'll be there in a minute."

Ginny glared at AJ, who glared back at her, Ginny walking right behind Dean. Shaking her head once the girl disappeared, AJ took off her protective gear and uniform. She rolled her shoulders back and was about to leave when Hermione entered. She was twisting her scarf in her hands, looking upset but determined.

"I want a word with you, Harry." Hermione said before taking a deep breath. "You shouldn't have done it. You heard Slughorn, it's illegal."

"What are you going to do, turn us in?" Ron demanded.

"What are you two talking about?" Harry asked.

He turned away to hang up his robes so that neither of his friends would see him grinning. But AJ noted it and silently walked closer to the trio, leaning against the end of the locker row she was in, crossing her arms.

"You know perfectly well what we're talking about!" Hermione said shrilly. "You spiked Ron's juice with lucky potion at breakfast! Felix Felicis!"

"No, he/I didn't." Both Harry and AJ said, Harry turning back to face his friends.

Hermione slightly turned so that she can see both Harry and AJ. "Yes he did. Yes you did, Harry, and that's why everything went right, there were Slytherin players missing and Ron saved everything!"

AJ shook his head, rolling her eyes as Harry shook his own head.

"I didn't put it in!" Harry said, grinning broadly.

Harry pointed to AJ who took out the tiny bottle full of golden liquid, the cork tightly sealed with wax.

"I wanted Ron to think I'd done it, so I faked it when I knew you were looking." Harry looked at Ron. "You saved everything because you felt lucky."

AJ nodded, pushing herself off the locker. "Yea, you did it all yourself." She told him, throwing the potion underhand to Harry who caught it easily. "Next game, just believe in yourself." AJ told Ron before walking out.

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—Black Manor—

Mia was packing her trunk while Kingsley paced behind her. Mia was beginning to get annoyed with her cousin's pacing, Anubis sitting on her bed, watching Kingsley carefully. Almost like a predator watching it's prey.

"I know what I am doing, Kingsley, I have to return to Hogwarts and help AJ." Mia said in irritation.

"Why do you want to risk your life and go back to Hogwarts?" Kingsley asked annoyed.

"Hogwarts is a safe school, cousin; I think it'll be all right for me to return to it." Mia sighed and turned to her cousin who had stopped pacing and looked down at her. "Not only do I have to help AJ, but I need to show these Death Eater's—especially Voldemort," Kingsley shuddered at this, "— that I'm not afraid. I'm not running from a fight anymore, Kingsley! I'm done running!"

Kingsley could see the courage and the determination in her honey brown and light blue eyes. Then all of a sudden he saw his cousin before him, as tall as his chin, shoulder length brown hair, brown eyes, and wearing Ravenclaw robes. Kingsley closed his eyes for a few moments to rid of the thoughts and opened his eyes. He only saw Mia standing there, a spitting image of her mother. Only she had longer hair, which was a blazing burgundy red, and as tall as his chest.

"Okay," He said, nodding slightly. "Okay but we'll floo there. The train is too risky for you to take." Kingsley hugged Mia, kissing the side of her head. "I'll go tell Molly and the others."

Mia returned to her packing when Kingsley walked out. She'd just hope that they—especially Fred—would understand. Mia screamed, quickly turning around with a hand to her heart when a loud crack echoed in her quiet room. Fred took two long strides towards her and took her arms, not in a gentle way, his face red as his hair.

"You can't be serious, Mia! I thought Kingsley would have changed your mind but I could see otherwise!"

Anger and sadness was all that Mia was feeling, could only feel as she stared into Fred's eyes that was full of fear and hurt. Fear because she was risking her life. Hurt because he did not want her to return to a place that she might lose her life.

"Kingsley may be family and my guardian but _I_ make my own decisions! _I_ do what I think is right! I have been for four years!" She argued.

"If you're doing this to protect us, _me_, than I know you're not thinking rationally!" Fred took a deep breath as he saw the sadness in Mia's eyes. "I don't want to lose the one thing that I have found that made me happy."

Mia opened her mouth to say something but was silenced with Fred crushing his mouth on to hers. At first it was forced, demanding, and hungry. Then it became loving and passionately, Fred holding on to her hips while Mia wrapped her arms around his waist. Parting, Mia leaned into Fred, burying her face against his right shoulder to hide her blush as she slid her arms further around him. Fred held her closer, kissing her hair as he took a deep breath, taking in the scent of peach.

"Stay only a couple of days, please, only a couple of more days." Fred whispered.

Mia fisted his shirt tightly, trying not to change her mind and stay at the manor until the danger passed through. Kingsley opened the door but stopped, not making any sound. He held the door knob, watching the two teens in amusement and sadness.

"Just a couple of days, please." Fred asked once more.

Mia loosened her hold on Fred's shirt, nodding against his shoulder. "Okay… okay, just two more days."

Fred smiled, pulling back. He took Mia's face and kissed her gently, his fingers caressing her skin. Kingsley smiled, happy for his cousin to find happiness after all that has happened to her. Though he knew it will soon be short lived. Kingsley cleared his throat, stepping in and not even attempting to hide his amused smirk. Both teenagers jump from each other, turning red in the face.

"So…" Kingsley placed his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his heels. "You're staying two more days?"

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—Hogwarts, two days later—

Times were stressful for AJ these days. Sure, Anubis had returned a few days ago but she was still trying to figure out the spell for the history of her book. Schoolwork was piling up on her and all the teachers were starting to get on her case about such subject. Not to mention that Ivan was still being really creepy around her still.

It was the end of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and, again, AJ had spent the whole class paying attention to her book—and was getting absolutely no where. She was about ready to give up entirely and throw the stupid book into the fireplace, and then watch it burn.

Ginny then suddenly came walking up beside the shifter and glared at her again like she had been the whole Defense class. Actually, since the first day when AJ and Harry begun to get a little bit close.

"What do you want now, Ginny?" AJ asked, her patience wearing thinner than it already was.

"We almost lost that Quidditch game." The witch stated. "And Harry hasn't been paying attention during practice either."

"Is that supposed to be my fault?" The shifter growled, walking angrily up the stairs.

Her right eye was beginning to go slightly darker as her agitation grew with the witch still following her.

"He was paying more attention to you then anything else."

"Obviously he was just spacing out, normal people do that. So you clearly wouldn't know that." AJ snapped at her.

Ginny's patience finally wore out. "Well at least I have real friends."

AJ stopped dead in her tracks, trying to have self-control. Everyone else in the hall (Gryffindor's, Slytherin's, Ravenclaw's, and Hufflepuff's alike) had stopped too, watching the impending fight.

"At least I try to know people before hating them." The shape shifter snapped back, facing her opponent.

"I get better grades than you." Ginny said lamely.

'_Is that what she's resorted to?'_ AJ mentally scoffed.

Then she said out loud in a tone of voice none had really ever heard nor was it her own. "At least I can afford good quality robes and books, you filthy little mudblood lover." She sneered coldly.

All the students forming a circle around the two gasped, though the Slytherin's just snickered; finally a Gryffindor with common sense! Ginny looked as though she had been slapped across the face, she had no idea why those words sounded so different coming out of AJ's mouth than anyone else's. The words cut through all her defenses and pierced her heart.

AJ's eye suddenly became dark blue once more and she shook her head slightly, as if to clear it. Everyone was still staring at her. The shifter opened her mouth to speak but Ginny suddenly whirled around and bolted down the hallway towards the Gryffindor Common Room. AJ quickly ran through the crowd in the direction of the dungeons.

'_What is happening?'_ She asked herself, whilst running skillfully through the tunnels until coming to a stop in front of the door of the Seven Women.

"Hello Amarna!" Africa said cheerfully as soon as AJ entered the room. "How are you doing today?"

AJ dropped her books on the floor and leaned up against a pillar as a response, burying her head in her arms as she slid down to the floor.

"AJ, what's wrong?" North questioned, feeling something amiss.

"I don't know." AJ said almost inaudibly.

"I do," All heads turned to Asia. "You called Ginny Weasley a filthy little mudblood."

Australia snorted. "Sounds like something Africa used to say… a lot."

"But I don't anymore!" The continent stated. "Not here anyways!"

"You used to, though, before you were drained of your powers." Asia replied smartly. She turned to AJ. "Amarna Jasmine, are you losing confidence in yourself in solving the riddle?"

AJ nodded with some reluctance.

Africa suddenly looked horrified. "Oh no…"

"What?" The shifter questioned.

"Well—um, there is a small catch to having all of our powers." South said almost shamelessly.

"And that would be…?" AJ asked irritably.

"If your confidence were to wane, the second strongest of us would take over your whole body. You would become one of us." Europe told her.

AJ swallowed in slight fear. "Who is that? Asia?"

"No actually." The painting stated. "I may be the largest, and wisest, but I am not the one who held the most power within."

"I did." Africa said, looking to the floor. "My power over the dead was the strongest. And, unfortunately, I was very prejudice against anyone who wasn't a pure blood."

"So what you're all saying is…?" AJ pressed, though she was scared out of her wits to know.

North looked troubled. "If you don't find more confidence in yourself or if you don't figure out the riddle in time, your mind will be taken over by Africa's spirit."

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—Dumbledore's office—

McGonagall was standing straight with her hands on top of the other in front of her as she stared into the fireplace, waiting for Mia and Kingsley. Though she doubted that Mia was needed here, Dumbledore continued to suggest that she was as important as AJ is. But McGonagall knew that having Mia back would probably help AJ since the shifter has been down and seemed to not being paying attention to her classes but rather to the book she always has with her. Hopefully with Mia back she would make AJ start to pay attention once more.

The fire burned upwards, turning an emerald green. Kingsley walked out of the fireplace with Mia's trunk, giving a short nod towards the Transfiguration professor. He waved his wand in front of his Muggle clothing, cleaning off the soot from it. Once again, the fire burned upwards with an emerald green, Mia stepping out, shaking her head. McGonagall raised both her eyebrows in surprise, having Mia's image changed in the small amount of time she's been gone from Hogwarts.

McGonagall gave a quick nod towards the young teen, who had taken out her wand and cleaned off the soot from her own clothes. McGonagall cleared her throat, looking at the clothing in disapproval. Mia wore a small black muscle shirt that stopped just above her navel, a bar going through it this time, with a black skirt that hung off her hips and fell around her ankles, wearing black slip on high heels. Mia wore a sterling silver ring in her right middle finger that had a shape of a heart and a sterling silver ring of a butterfly on her left thumb. A necklace of tinkerbell, the wings blue, hung down just below her collar bone and small silver round hoop earrings.

"Even though you are returning, you will have to make up the work this past week." McGonagall told the teen.

Mia nodded, sweeping her hair up and pinning it with a clip that was hanging on to her muscle shirt.

"That's fine, I don't mind. Can I go and put my stuff down and look for AJ?" Mia asked, levitating her trunk.

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, it's about lunch time and I guess you two can catch up. I will tell your professor's to send your work to your common rooms."

Mia smiled. "Thank you." She turned to Kingsley and hugged him, kissing his cheek. "Talk to you soon."

Kingsley kissed Mia's forehead. "Okay, I'll try to send an owl to you when I hear any news."

Nodding, Mia walked out of the office, her trunk in front of her. She quickly made her way towards the Gryffindor room and up to her and AJ's room, leaving her trunk next to her bed. She smiled at Anubis before walking back out and out of the tower to find AJ, who was probably in the Great Hall eating lunch. Upon entering the hall, the mind reader scanned the Gryffindor table but didn't see AJ.

So Mia hurriedly made her way over to the golden trio, standing behind them with a smile as they continued to talk on not even noticing her. She winked at Neville and Seamus in greeting; the mouths of the two teens open wide at the sight of Mia and her clothing. Looking back to the trio, Mia rolled her eyes, leaning over between Harry and Ron, taking hold of Harry's goblet of pumpkin juice.

"Excuse me." She said, standing up straight.

"Hey!" Harry cried, turning to see who took his drink.

A smile then broke out and stood up, hugging Mia. Mia chuckled, hugging Harry back, nodding to a smiling Ron and a glaring Hermione.

"Nice to see you too." Mia said laughingly to Harry.

"So you decided to come back?" Ron asked.

Harry let the girl go and stood back, his arms crossed as a look of concern fell upon his smiling face. But Mia didn't see it as she stared at Ron.

"_No_, I'm just here visiting." Mia said sarcastically, taking a quick drink and putting it down on the table. "Of course I'm back, Ron!"

Ron rolled his eyes but got a mischief glint in his eyes. "So how's Fred?"

Mia blushed, purposely ignoring him and turned to Harry. But her blush faded and concern washed her own features as she saw Harry.

"What's wrong?" Mia asked immediately.

"Something happened earlier today with AJ and Ginny." Harry told her.

Mia frowned. "What happened?"

Harry shook his head. "Don't know, AJ didn't want to talk with me."

"Where is she?" Mia asked worriedly.

"By the lake, I'll show you, come on." Harry took his bag and looked to his friends. "I won't go to Defense today but I'll see you next class."

And he and Mia hurriedly walked down the hall with the protest of both Ron and Hermione, Ron because he wanted to skip the class too and Hermione because Snape might take some points off their House.

Ivan looked up when there was shouts of protest and wolf whistles. He smiled almost evilly as he saw Mia before she and Harry ran out of the Hall.

'_I guess my plans are taking it's course once more.'_

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—Outside—

AJ was sitting in front of the lake, away from everyone, missing the rest of her classes. She didn't want to see everyone and go through all the questions they had for her. She had her knees drawn up to her with her arms wrapped around them, her chin resting upon her knees. Although she didn't like Ginny, AJ felt bad for what she said. Though the shifter knew it wasn't her who said those awful words but no one else did.

_I'm sorry for the trouble I have caused you._ Africa told AJ.

"Leave me alone." AJ muttered angrily out loud.

_Please, it was my past life, it was stupid of me to think and done the things I did._

"If you know what's good for you, I suggest you leave, _now_!" AJ snarled quietly.

_Very well but you best figure out the riddle before it is too late._

"Leave me alone!" AJ nearly shouted.

"AJ?" A soft voice said behind the shifter.

AJ turned around sharply and quickly leapt up, hugging Mia tightly. Harry smiled slightly at the small reunion, knowing that AJ needed the comfort of her best friend at the moment. AJ pulled back, smiling sadly at her mind reader friend.

"What happened today, AJ?" Mia asked quietly.

The three of them sat down on the grass, the two girls sitting Indian style and Harry with his legs stretched out before him. AJ shook her head, looking down at her hands, trying to control her voice before she spoke.

"The spirit of Africa is getting stronger. If I don't figure out the riddle in time, the spirit will take over my mind and from what I gathered Africa was like Malfoy but worse."

Mia and Harry turned to each other in alarm before looking at their friend. Now they knew that they had to figure out the riddle before their friend was to turn into something that would probably terrorize the whole school. Mia shook her head and snapped her right forefinger and thumb, a piece of parchment appearing out of thin air. The mind reader grabbed the parchment, AJ staring in amusement while Harry stared in surprise and amazement, still not used to the two teens doing magic without wands.

"I figured some of the riddle out." Mia told them. "The first line is obvious; you have to listen to your heart rather than your head." Mia stared at her friend at this. "And the last line is also pretty obvious; our past will catch up to us."

Harry leaned closer to Mia, reading the riddle carefully. "The third line is just saying to not turn evil." Harry told them.

Both teens looked down at the riddle and nodded in agreement. Harry continued to look over the words, trying to see if anything will connect to his mind.

"And the fourth line is only saying to lean on each other, don't let anything come between you." Harry looked further down.

"Fifth line, once again, obvious, we can't start breaking down." Mia said.

"_Hear the words that muffled into your head_." AJ muttered under his breath. "It could probably mean the voice that I keep on hearing but I can't make out the words." She decided.

"But what about that 6th line?" Mia asked. "It's obvious, but we need to find out _who_ it is that we can't trust."

"It could be someone that you already know." Harry suggested, thinking of only one person.

AJ and Mia looked at him seriously, Harry taken back by this. He shook his head, looking back and forth between the two.

"No, not me! You can _trust_ me!" He cried.

Both girls raised an eyebrow at him then looked at each other, Mia smiling as Harry couldn't see her face.

"He's not really pretty, so I guess we _can_ trust him." AJ supplied.

"Hey!" Harry cried in hurt.

AJ then smiled, both girls laughing, looking to Harry who narrowed his eyes at them, a grin spreading on his lips.

"That was cruel." He told them.

"But it was so much fun!" Mia said through her laughter.

"You should have seen your face!" AJ said, lying on the floor.

Harry rolled his eyes but continued to smile, looking down at the shifter. Mia nudged Harry aside, smiling knowingly but didn't say anything.

'_It looks like things are going back to the way they were.'_ Harry thought. _'And will be a lot more interesting.'_

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**A/N: Sorry to have taken so long! We've been busy with school, and I with both school and work. Will, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Snow was swirling against the icy windows once more; Christmas was approaching fast. This season was usually happy for everyone who went back to their homes for the holidays to spend it with their families. For some, however, that was not possible. Actually, for Mia, it was possible, she could stay with Kingsley, but as for AJ, she had no other relations to see, or any that would see her for that matter. But enough of that.

Hagrid had already single-handedly delivered the usual twelve Christmas trees for the Great Hall; garlands of holly and tinsel had been twisted around the banisters of the stairs. Everlasting candles glowed from inside the helmets of suits of armor and great bunches of mistletoe had been hung at intervals along the corridors. Large groups of girls tended to converge underneath the mistletoe all the time whenever Harry went past one, which caused blockages in the corridors.

Fortunately, however, Harry's frequent nighttime wanderings had given him an unusually good knowledge of the castle's secret passageways so that he was able, without too much difficulty, to navigate mistletoe-free routes between classes. Every time Mia and AJ passed Harry, he was usually taking the long way to his class, which always brought laughter to both teens. And therefore, would constantly tease him about it.

Ron, who might once have found the necessity of such detours a cause for jealousy rather than hilarity, simply roared with laughter about it all. Although Harry much preferred this new laughing, joking Ron to the moody, aggressive model he had been enduring for the last few weeks, the improved Ron came at a heavy price.

Firstly, Harry had to put up with the frequent presence of Lavender Brown, who seemed to regard any moment that she was not kissing Ron as a moment wasted. Secondly, Harry found himself once more the best friend of two people who seemed unlikely ever to speak to each other again.

Mia found that Ron had changed since she had last seen him. She was glad for Harry since Ron wasn't jealous or moody all the time but annoyed to see him and Lavender always trying to suck on each other faces, which looks like it every time she sees them. She knew that Ron didn't care for Lavender but for someone else, the only problem was the both of them were too stubborn to notice the feeling for one another and just tried to outdo the other by jealously.

"Not at all like his brother, is he?" AJ would joke on a regular basis, a great opportunity to tease her friend. "Bet you he isn't as good of a kisser either, eh? But then again, I wouldn't know."

And by this point in time Mia would be as red as any of the Weasley's hair, which would only cause even more laughter from AJ, and Anubis, if he had the privilege to be there. But Mia vowed to get her shifter friend back when she could.

At the moment, both teens, plus the cat, were sitting in the Common Room, trying to figure out whom not to trust with a pretty face and do their homework at the same time or, in AJ's case, trying to start her homework.

"What about Malfoy?" AJ asked, stroking Anubis' silky black fur. "I know for a fact we can't trust him."

"Why?" Mia inquired with a smirk, having granted the opportunity to finally get her friend back as she saw someone walking past them from the corner of her eye. "Think he has a pretty face?"

AJ looked at the mind reader in horror and began stuttering as she tried to find the right words for a suitable comeback.

"Hey Harry," Mia called Harry, who was just passing the two, making him stop at their table. "AJ thinks Draco has a pretty face."

The shape shifter responded to this by hitting her head on the table, while Harry took on the expression of a mixture of jealousy and disgust towards her.

"Draco, as in, _Draco Malfoy_?" He asked in disbelief.

"I didn't mean he had a pretty face, I meant the fact that we can't trust him at all!" AJ groaned, hiding her face (which had turned rather red by this point in time) in her arm.

Mia was fighting the strong urge to burst out laughing by now, paying back AJ for all the teasing she has done. Harry just rolled his eyes, smiling at the two and sat down on the couch near Ron, whose hands and forearms still bore scratches and cuts from Hermione's bird attack, (which the girls later found out from Ron who entered the Common Room) who was talking in a defensive and resentful tone.

Not that neither AJ nor Mia actually meant to listen in on their conversation, but they were both bored out of their minds and wanted something to entertain themselves with (Mia already finished with her homework).

"She can't complain," he told Harry. "She snogged Krum. So she's found out someone wants to snog me too. Well, it's a free country. I haven't done anything wrong."

Harry did not answer, but pretended to be absorbed in the book they were supposed to have read before Charms next morning (_Quintessence: A Quest_). Determined, as he was to remain friends with both Ron and Hermione, he was spending a lot of time with his mouth shut tight.

"I wonder who this Krum fellow is." AJ mused, turning her attention to her potions essay… which was, of course, due tomorrow. "He must obviously have good taste in nosy, bushy-haired, know-it-all book worms."

Mia snorted as she tried to hold back her laugh. "That's not nice!" She whispered.

AJ shrugged. "But it's true!"

"I never promised Hermione anything," Ron mumbled. "I mean, all right, I was going to go to Slughorn's Christmas party with her, but she never said… just as friends… I'm a free agent…"

Harry turned a page of _Quintessence_, aware that Ron was watching him. Ron's voice tailed away in mutters, barely audible over the loud crackle of the fire, though Harry thought he caught the words 'Krum' and 'can't complain' again.

"It's finally happened." AJ said, closing her potions book with a snap and placing it on her book of _S.E.A.N_.

"What's finally happened?" Mia queried, rolling up a piece of neatly hand-written parchment.

"Ron's finally admitting he's jealous of someone!… either that or he's lost it. I think it runs in the family, wouldn't you agree?"

"That's not nice either!" Mia almost shouted. "You're acting as bad as Africa!"

AJ's features darkened. "I most certainly am not, and I most certainly never will."

The mind reader was suddenly overcome with guilt. "Oh, AJ, look, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."

The shifter stood up and shrugged. "No big deal, I just never want to be like the worst and most powerful continent in the world."

"What are you two talking about?" Lavender Brown asked, walking over to their table.

This was obviously a detour from her original course of Ron. She was smiling at them but the two teens has seen passed it and knew it was forced.

"If it concerned you, Lavender, we would have included you in our conversation." AJ replied as nicely as possible, which was rather difficult when you had around seven little voices yelling profanity at the witch inside your head.

The teen huffed and went over to snog Ron, as her usual routine went. Mia only rolled her eyes, stacking her books on top of one another as she finished with all of her homework and was ready to go back up to their room.

AJ rubbed her temples. "I hate my life!" She groaned, once the two were safe within the walls of the room they shared.

Mia rolled her eyes, and patted her friend's shoulder sympathetically.

"Oh come on, it's not _that_ bad."

"_Easy for you to say!"_ Anubis meowed, jumping into his master's arms. _"You don't have a very powerful spirit about to take over your body and possibly destroy the whole entire world."_

"You tell her, Anubis." AJ mumbled, lazily flipping through the pages of her book.

Now Mia just looked confused, looking down at the cat. "Was your cat talking to me?"

"It just so happens he was, and if you could speak animal, you would have heard him say: _'Easy for you to say! You don't have a very powerful spirit about to take over your body and possibly destroy the whole entire world.'_"

"I see," the mind reader mused, shaking her head at the two.

"Are you going anywhere for Christmas?" AJ asked suddenly and rather randomly at that too.

Mia looked at her in surprise. "What?"

"Simple question with a simple answer, so why don't you pay attention to me when I talk to you!" AJ shouted, her eye flashing black. Her eyes suddenly opened wide in horror. "Mia, I am so sorry."

The mind reader put her hand up to silence the shifter. "It's alright, I've been around you long enough now to expect severe mood swings. Are you going out flying?"

In truth, Mia was grateful for the change of subject. She didn't really know what to do for Christmas. She wanted it to spend it with her cousin (and Fred) but she also wanted to spend it with AJ and not leave her at Hogwarts by herself.

AJ nodded. "Sure am, and who knows? Maybe I'll swing by a place on my rounds and pick up a present or two… or five."

"_You're going after the chocolate again, aren't you?"_ Anubis questioned, rather worried for his master.

AJ gave her cat a toothy grin. "I'll see you tomorrow morning." She said, jumping out the window.

Mia rolled her eyes and chuckled, as Anubis frantically jumped out the window and flapped his wings to try and keep up with his master, who had already shifted into an owl. Harmony also gracefully flew out the window in pursuit of the two. Sighing, the mind reader flopped on to her bed on her back, trying to decide what to do that Christmas. It would be the first Christmas in four years that she would actually be looking forward to.

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School was still rather boring, but AJ's grades and her attention were slightly improving since she looked to actually concentrating on the task at hand rather than the stupid riddle, which was practically solving itself at times.

At the moment, both Mia and AJ were in the library, trying to do an essay for DADA, but it was a task easier said than done… at least not for AJ.

"I can't concentrate!" AJ groaned. "All I can hear are those jumbled up words inside my head."

Mia looked at her friend sympathetically. "Can't help you there, sorry."

"You know, life will be so much better once I get that bloody riddle solved… then I'm going to write out the riddle again and burn it."

Mia snorted, and went back to staring off into space, tapping her pen against her notebook. AJ looked to her friend and grinned knowingly.

"Thinking about Fred, are we?" AJ teased.

The mind reader snapped to attention and blushed. "I am not!"

Madam Pince glared at the two, silently warning them to be quiet. Mia was about to go on in a quieter voice when AJ tilted her head to one side, trying to listen to some else's conversation.

"Who is it?" Mia whispered.

AJ looked around to make sure no one was looking and then quickly shifted into a cat. "Harry and Hermione. I'm going to check it out." She whispered back.

"Or check someone out." Mia muttered, though AJ heard it and blushed furiously, very thankful for her fur to cover it up.

"If I'm not back in five minutes, leave without me, I'll see you in the Common Room." the shifter said, before jumping from her chair and walking swiftly down a row of books towards the two.

Mia rolled her eyes and sighed, before going back to her essay.

"He's at perfect liberty to kiss whomever he likes," AJ heard Hermione say, while the librarian, Madam Pince, prowled the shelves behind them. "I really couldn't care less."

'_Oh for goodness sake, is she talking about Ron?' _AJ asked herself, silently creeping underneath the table.

Hermione raised her quill and dotted an _i_ so ferociously that she punctured a hole in her parchment. Harry said nothing. He thought his voice might soon vanish from lack of use. He bent a little lower over _Advance Potion-Making_ and continued to make notes on Everlasting Elixirs, occasionally pausing to decipher the Prince's useful additions to Libatius Borage's text.

"And incidentally," said Hermione, after a few moments, "you need to be careful."

"For the last time," said Harry, speaking in a slightly hoarse whisper after three-quarters of an hour of silence, "I am not giving back this book, I've learned more from the Half-Blood Prince than Snape or Slughorn have taught me in—"

AJ's ears perked up at the mention of a book. _What book?_ She asked herself.

"I'm not talking about your stupid so-called Prince," said Hermione, giving his book a nasty look as though it had been rude to her. "I'm talking about earlier. I went into the girls' bathroom just before I came in here and there were about a dozen girls in there, including that Romilda Vane, trying to decide how to slip you a love potion. They're all hoping they're going to get you to take them to Slughorn's party, and they all seem to have bought Fred and George's love potions, which I'm afraid to say probably work—"

AJ almost laughed out loud at the thought of Harry accidentally drinking a love potion, but caught herself in time, as to not be exposed with snooping in on their conversation.

"Why didn't you confiscate them then?" Harry demanded.

It seemed extraordinary that Hermione's mania for upholding rules could have abandoned her at this crucial juncture.

"They didn't have the potions with them in the bathroom," said Hermione scornfully. "They were just discussing tactics. As I doubt whether even the _Half-Blood Prince_"—she gave the book another nasty look—"could dream up an antidote for a dozen different love potions at once, I'd just invite someone to go with you, that'll stop all the others thinking they've still got a chance. It's tomorrow night, they're getting desperate."

"There isn't anyone I want to invite," mumbled Harry, who was trying not to think about AJ any more than he could help it.

She kept coming to mind, for some odd reason, though, and he was trying to wonder what exactly she meant to him. Besides, they were friends.

"Well, just be careful what you drink, because Romilda Vane looked like she meant business," said Hermione grimly.

She hitched up the long roll of parchment on which she was writing her Arithmancy essay and continued to scratch away with her quill. Harry watched her with his mind a long way away.

'_No, don't leave!' _AJ thought loudly. '_I need more information about this book!'_

"Hang on a moment," he said slowly. "I thought Filch had banned anything bought at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"

"And when has anyone ever paid attention to what Filch has banned?" asked Hermione, still concentrating on her essay.

"But I thought all the owls were being searched. So how come these girls are able to bring love potions into school?"

"Fred and George send them disguised as perfumes and cough potions," said Hermione. "It's part of their Owl Order Service."

"You know a lot about it."

Hermione gave him the kind of nasty look she had just give his copy of _Advance Potion-Making_.

"It was all on the back of the bottles they showed Ginny and me in the summer," she said coldly. "I don't go around putting potions in people's drinks… or pretending to, either, which is just as bad…"

"Yeah, well, never mind that," said Harry quickly. "The point is, Filch is being fooled, isn't he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else! So why couldn't Malfoy have brought the necklace into the school—?"

"Oh, Harry… not that again…"

AJ kept listening with much interest, first this book and now a suspicion that it was Malfoy who gave Katie the necklace.

"Come on, why not?" demanded Harry.

"Look," sighed Hermione, "Secrecy Sensors detect jinxes, curses, and concealment charms, don't they? They're used to find Dark Magic and Dark objects. They'd have picked up a powerful curse, like the one on that necklace, within seconds. But something that's just been put in the wrong bottle wouldn't register—and anyway love potions aren't Dark or dangerous—"

"Easy for you to say," muttered Harry, thinking of Romilda Vane.

"—so it would be down to Filch to realize it wasn't a cough potion, and he's not a very good wizard, I doubt he can tell one potion from—"

Hermione stopped dead; Harry had heard it too. Somebody had moved close behind them among the dark bookshelves. They waited and a moment later the vulture like countenance of Madam Pince appeared around the corner, her sunken cheeks, her skin like parchment, and her long hooked nose illuminated unflatteringly by the lamp she was carrying.

AJ almost stopped breathing and began wondering if pets were allowed in the library, but she highly doubted it.

"The library is now closed," Madam Pince said. "Mind you return anything you have borrowed to the correct—_what have you been doing to that book, you depraved boy_?"

"It isn't the library's, it's mine!" said Harry hastily, snatching his copy of _Advance Potion-Making_ off the table as she lunged at it with claw like hand.

"Despoiled!" She hissed. "Desecrated! Befouled!"

"It's just a book that's been written on!" said Harry, tugging it out of her grip.

Again, AJ was having an extremely hard time trying to stop herself from laughing out loud as she watched the two fight. Madam Pince looked as though she might have a seizure; Hermione, who had hastily packed her things, grabbed Harry by the arm and frog-marched him away.

Looking around cautiously, AJ silently crept out from under the table and into a dark corner, where she quickly shifted back into herself. Making sure that Mia had taken her stuff with her when she left, the shape shifter almost ran out of the library in order to follow Harry and Hermione and possibly to get more information from them.

"She'll ban you from the library if you're not careful. Why did you have to bring that stupid book?" AJ heard Hermione ask.

"It's not my fault she's barking mad, Hermione. Or d'you think she overheard you being rude about Filch? I've always thought there might be something going on between them…"

"Oh, ha ha…"

AJ chuckled quietly, shaking her head at the two. Out loud, she then said, "Good job Harry, now I've got visions of Pince and Filch inside my head."

The two spun around, Hermione giving the shifter a dirty look, similar to the one reserved for the Prince's book.

Harry smiled at her. "Finally, someone who sees things my way."

Enjoying the fact that they could speak normally again, Harry, Hermione and AJ made their way along the deserted, lamp-lit corridors back to the common room, arguing about whether or not Filch and Madam Pince were secretly in love with each other.

"_Baubles_," Harry said to the Fat Lady with a roguish grin, and she swung forward to admit them.

"Hi, Harry!" said Romilda Vane, the moment he had climbed through the portrait hole. "Fancy a gillywater?"

Hermione gave him a 'what-did-I-tell-you?' look over her shoulder. AJ's lips quivered as she tried desperately not to laugh, seeing as Hermione was already suspicious of her in the first place, and she didn't want to give the witch anymore hints to her shifting abilities, (or anything for that matter) by revealing what she had previously overheard.

"No thanks," Harry said quickly. "I don't like it much."

"Well, take these anyway," said Romilda thrusting a box into his hands. "Chocolate Cauldrons, they've got firewhisky in them. My gran sent them to me, but I don't like them."

"Oh—right—thanks a lot," Harry said, who could not think what else to say. "Er—I'm just going over here with…"

He hurried off behind Hermione and AJ, his voice tailing away feebly.

"What was that about?" AJ questioned, trying to look innocent.

"Told you," Hermione said succinctly. "Sooner you ask someone, sooner they'll all leave you alone and you can—" But her face suddenly turned blank; she had just spotted Ron and Lavender, who were entwined in the same armchair.

"Well, good night, Harry," Hermione said, even though it was only seven o'clock in the evening, and she left for the girls' dormitory without another word.

Harry turned to AJ, who gave him a sympathetic smile in return. "Sorry, Harry, but I really ought to finish up my homework."

"What for?" He questioned, watching her make her way towards Mia and Anubis in the corner table. "It's not like you sleep at all."

AJ wrinkled her nose at him and laughed, shaking her head.

"_Have fun?"_ Anubis meowed teasingly, hoping up into his master's arms.

The shifter glared at her cat and Mia chuckled. "Find anything out?" she murmured as the two walked up the stairs to their room.

"Sure did, Harry thinks Malfoy is behind the necklace incident and he uses a book in potions."

Mia rolled her eyes and flopped down onto her bed. "No duh, everyone in the whole school uses a book for potions."

"Not like that." AJ scowled, walking over to the window. "I'm talking about someone else's book that's been written on and he's using cheat notes from it during class."

"Hmm," Mia pondered, rolling onto her stomach. "Maybe we ought to take a look at this book."

AJ shrugged. "That's really nice, but I need to go out now, need to clear my head."

Mia watched as Harmony and Anubis flew out the window, followed soon afterwards by AJ.

"Have fun!" She yelled after them, getting ready for bed.

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—Next Day—

The last day of lessons was rather boring in the morning. Mia and AJ were both trying to concentrate on their work, but it was rather difficult for AJ when you had seven little voices trying to talk to you at one time, all forming a jumbled piece of the riddle, and it was driving the shifter up the wall.

It was Potions when the stress of everything got to AJ again. The shifter was rubbing her temples, both in irritation and in pain.

"You alright?" Mia whispered to her friend.

AJ shrugged. "Major headache here!" she whispered back. Sighing, she also said, "I'll be back in a bit." The shifter raised her hand, which was quickly answered by Slughorn.

"Yes, Miss Jasmine?"

"May I go to the washroom?" AJ asked, smiling sweetly.

Slughorn smiled at the student. "Of course you may."

The shape shifter nodded slightly to Mia then quickly walked out of the room and towards the girls' bathroom.

_You are weak._ Africa hissed inside her head. _Nothing like my **pure** blood line. How dare you…_

"Shut up Africa." AJ growled. "Just shut up!"

"Who are you talking to, Amarna?" Luna Lovegood questioned, walking up behind the shifter.

AJ jumped up in the air, startled, and whirled around to face the witch. "Oh, Luna, it's just you." She took a deep breath in. "I was just, um, talking to myself."

She half expected Luna to laugh at her, but all she did was smile at her. Luna opened her mouth to say something, when a faint sound caught both of their attention.

"What's that?" AJ muttered, tilting her head to one side in wonder.

"It's probably just Moaning Myrtle." Luna replied.

"Who's she?"

"You've never met her?" AJ shook her head. "Come on then, we'll both cheer her up then."

"I'm not the most sympathetic person in the world, you know, Luna." The shifter admitted as the two began walking towards the nearest girls' bathroom.

"That's too bad," Luna said, opening the wooden door. As she did so, the crying became louder. "Hello? Myrtle?"

A choked sob echoed throughout the vast bathroom and suddenly, a bushy head of brown hair appeared in the doorway of one of the stalls.

"Hermione? Is that you?" AJ asked in near disbelief.

Said teen sniffed and tried wiping her tear streaked face and bloodshot eyes with the sleeve of her robe.

"What's wrong?" Luna questioned, ultimately concerned for the bossy know it all.

Well, that was really only in AJ and Mia's opinion, but no one knew that. Hermione then went on a long-winded sob story, about how – during Transfiguration – she had laughed at Ron's attempt to turn his eyebrows a different color, at which he failed at, but gave himself a spectacular handlebar moustache. In turn, he had done a cruel, yet accurate impersonation of Hermione jumping up and down every time McGonagall asked a question.

Apparently, from which AJ and Luna could decipher through the sobs and attempts to control her tears, Lavender and Parvati had found this deeply amusing and ended up reducing her to tears. At this point in time, Hermione burst out into a fresh set of tears. AJ felt unusually torn between spitting at her and walking away in disgust, or patting her sympathetically on the back.

"Come on, you can't avoid facing them forever." AJ said, choosing the latter of her dilemmas. "Your past will almost always catch up with you no matter what you do. I of all people should know." She had whispered the last part, though, as to not really let Hermione hear her.

The witch nodded and the trio began walking out of the bathroom. Just as the exited, however, Harry came briskly walking towards them.

"Oh, hello, Harry," Luna said. "Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?"

"Yeah, it looks funny." AJ added, wrinkling her nose in fake disgust.

Harry smiled at her. "Hi, Luna, AJ. Hermione, you left your stuff…" He held out her books.

"Oh, yes," Hermione said in a choked voice, taking her things and turning away quickly to hide the fact that she was wiping her eyes on her pencil case. "Thank you, Harry. Well, I'd better get going…"

And she hurried off, without giving Harry any time to offer words of comfort, though admittedly he could not think of any.

"She's a bit upset," said Luna. "I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley…"

"And I was just curious to meet Myrtle." AJ said, not entirely wanting to admit that she felt sorry for the nosy witch.

"Yeah, her and Ron had a row." Harry said. "And here I was, thinking you were actually concerned for someone, AJ."

The shifter rolled her eyes. "As if."

Luna looked several times between the two teens. "Well, if you will both excuse me, I ought to go now. I'll see you later, Harry, Amarna."

"See ya Luna." AJ called after her, as she and Harry set off in the opposite direction as her.

"So…" Harry started, trying to think of a subject the two could talk about. "Uh, how's the riddle coming along?"

AJ looked at him oddly. "Um, alright, I guess. I'm starting to make a bit of progress on more of it, Anubis is trying to help me find out––"

"How would you like to come to Slughorn's party with me tonight?"

The words were out of Harry's mouth before he could stop them; he heard himself say them as though it were a stranger speaking.

AJ had stopped dead in her tracks with her mouth hanging wide open. "Me? Go to Slughorn's party? With you?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "We're supposed to bring guests, so I thought you might like… I mean…" He was keen to make his intentions perfectly clear, he didn't want one of his good friends getting the wrong idea. "I mean, just as friends, you know. But if you don't want to…"

By now, half of him wanted her to say yes, the other half, no, and a whole other part of him to just run away right now.

AJ waved her hands out in front of him. "Oh, no, no, no! I'd –uh– love –er– like to go with you… as friends." she gave him a real, wide smile. "I've never been asked to a party… ever! Not that I would have been allowed to go, but it's the thought that counts, ya know? Well, except for this one time, but that was with Mark and…" her mouth seemed to want to just turn off at the very second at the mention of her best friend. "And I'm just going to shut up now."

"So, I'll meet you in the entrance hall at eight o'clock then." Harry stated.

"Sure, I'm sure Mia will have something presentable for me to wear tonight." The shifter joked. "I'm pretty sure you don't want me coming in my uniform, or jeans and a T-shirt."

Harry laughed. "Not really, but even if you did, I wouldn't care."

"AHA!" screamed a voice from overhead and both of them jumped; unnoticed by either of them, they had just passed right underneath Peeves, who was hanging upside down from a chandelier and grinning maliciously at them.

"_Potty asked Pinky to go to the party! Potty lurves Pinky! Potty luuuuurves Pinky!_"

And he zoomed away, cackling and shrieking, "Potty loves Pinky!"

"Nice to keep these things private," Harry said.

AJ rubbed her temples and sighed. "Yeah, I officially hate Peeves." She moaned before shaking her head, raising an eyebrow. "Why the heck is he calling me _Pinky_? He couldn't come up with something else?"

"Hey you two, what's up?" Mia asked, walking over to the duo, handing AJ her things.

"Oh, nothing much." AJ replied, turning to give her friend a fake smile.

Mia looked between Harry and AJ several times. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, not really." Harry replied nervously.

The mind reader nodded her head slowly, not believing him at all. "How's your head now, AJ?"

"Stupid, bloody annoying voices." She growled, narrowing her eyes at the wall. She turned to Harry as the three reached the Common Room. "I should go and get my homework finished… or started at least."

"Okay," Harry replied. "I'll see you tonight then."

AJ smiled and nodded, then grabbed Mia's hand and dragged her up the stairs into their dorm room.

"So… what the hell is going on with you and Harry?" Mia asked once the door was closed.

"As if you didn't read my mind and find out already." AJ muttered, throwing open her trunk to look for something suitable to wear that night.

Mia pretended to look hurt. "I would never read your mind in a million years."

The shifter looked up at her, annoyed. "You, shut up. If you actually didn't, then you should know that Harry just asked me to go with him to Slughorn's party tonight." Mia raised her eyebrows. "As friends, you sick-o!"

"Either way, you're not going to wear that, are you?" Mia gestured to the pants and sweater AJ had just taken out of her trunk.

"I was actually considering it. What? They're dressy… right?"

Mia sighed. "Stand up." The shifter obeyed the order and stood. "Stand as though you were getting fitted for a dress or something."

AJ rolled her eyes, but held her arms out anyway. Several minutes passed while Mia circled around AJ, envisioning a dress suitable enough for her.

Anubis, who had been lying on AJ's bed the entire time, yawned. _"You humans are so boring!"_ he meowed.

AJ narrowed her eyes at her cat. "You shut up too." She turned to Mia. "How long is this going to take?"

"Take off your school robe." Mia replied. The shifter obeyed and shed the robe, revealing a pair of ripped jeans and a T-shirt that looked like it had seen better days. "You don't mind if I change this outfit a bit, do you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means stand still and don't move while I do this spell."

"So you've finally figured out what you're going to make me wear, eh?"

The mind reader didn't reply as she began to mutter under her breath. Whilst she did so, AJ's previous outfit began to morph into a dress. Said dress was long, made of a shimmering black material with a red and silver sash around her thin waist. Her see-through sleeves billowed out in a non-existent and were attached to her wrists via thick silver bands.

The shifter looked herself over in disbelief. "Wow, I can actually look this good?"

"How modest of you." Mia muttered sarcastically. "Now, let's see about your hair…"

The mind reader walked over to her tall friend and ran her fingers over all the faded, grown out pieces of pink streaked hair. The streaks, in turn, began to regain the previous neon colour, and covered her head once more.

Mia took several steps back to admire her handiwork. "Now, you're ready to take on the party."

"And stun the socks off of a certain Scared One." Anubis purred, laughing inside his head.

AJ growled at him. "Is there any way you can make this neckline a bit higher?" She pleaded, tugging the material covering her chest to go upwards more.

Mia laughed and began to walk out towards the door, wanting her friend to have a good time... and pay her back a bit.

"Wait!" AJ cried. Mia stopped and turned around, crossing her arms over her chest. "You aren't going to just leave me here in this… are you? Because I know a great deal of curses, ones that the wizarding world has ever heard of, and they're all pretty nasty."

Mia rolled her eyes at the threat. "I'll bring you up something to eat then, alright?"

"So you are going to leave me?" AJ shrieked, tripping over the hem of her new dress.

"Mmm…." Mia started, turning over to the door. "_Yeah_." She said, walking out the door.

AJ picked up the hem of her dress and quickly walked out after her mind reader friend.

"You can't leave me like this!" AJ cried.

Mia stopped at the base of the stairs and turned to look up at her friend. "If you don't want Harry to see you like that _before_ the party, I suggest you stay up in the room."

And with that Mia turned, holding up her right hand in farewell, trying her hardest not to laugh.

**454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545**

Mia quickly walked out of the tower smiling and chuckling to herself. She took the shortcut to the Great Hall and entered. Mia quickly scanned the Gryffindor table and walked towards Harry and Ron. But as she continued to look further down the table she saw Hermione sitting by herself, playing with her stew.

'_She's annoying,'_ Mia thought, _'but she doesn't deserve to be alone.'_

Walking past Harry and Ron, Mia brushed Harry's hair to the other side, making him whip around quickly to look behind him. He narrowed his eyes in a promise payback and was about to return to his dinner when he did a double take.

"Where's AJ?"

Mia couldn't help but chuckle as she thought about her friend. "She's back in the tower, I'm gonna bring her some dinner."

Harry frown in confusion, as did Ron. "Why doesn't she want to come down?" Ron asked before Harry could.

Mia only grinned mysteriously, walking further down the table to go sit with Hermione, leaving two confused boys. She smiled at the surprise Hermione, sitting down next to her. The mind reader started to mix fruit into her plate to have a fruit salad.

"How've you been, Hermione?" Mia asked, trying to make some sort of conversation.

Hermione looked at the mind reader curiously but grateful at the same time. "Good, you?"

Mia shrugged. "Eh, I've been better." She grabbed another plate and started to fill it up with food for AJ.

"I guess you're hungry." Hermione said teasingly, looking amused at the two plates of food.

Mia laughed. "No, I'm gonna take one up to AJ, want to help me, if you're finished with your dinner, that is."

Hermione shook her head, standing with Mia. "No, I'm done. I'll take your plate."

"Thanks."

"I heard that Harry asked AJ to go to Slughorn's party." Hermione said out of the blue.

Mia smiled. "Yeah, he did. What about you?" Mia looked at the witch next to her. "Have you invited anyone to the party?"

Before Hermione could say a word, a voice spoke up loudly.

"Oh, hi, Hermione!" The two teens looked down at a beaming Parvati. "Mia."

Hermione beamed back at the witch, while Mia only nodded at her in greeting. The mind reader looked down to Harry when he felt him nudge her thigh and raised an eyebrow at him. He, in turn, raised an eyebrow at the plate in her hands. Mia mouthed the words 'AJ' and Harry nodded in understanding.

"Hi, Parvati!" Hermione said, ignoring Ron and Lavender completely. "Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"

"No invite." Parvati said gloomily. "I'd love to go, though; it sounds like it's going to be really good… You're going, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm meeting Cormac at eight, and we're—"

Mia stopped paying attention to the conversation as she tried her hardest not to laugh. Ron had managed a noise that sounded like a plunger being withdrawn from a blocked sink. She shared a look with Harry, shaking her head at the two stubborn teens.

"Well, see you, Mia and I are taking food up to AJ… and I have to get ready for the party…"

Mia waved at Harry when Hermione took hold of her arm and started dragging her away. Once they were outside the Great Hall, Hermione let the mind reader go and sighed in irritation.

"You never meant to take Cormac McLaggen, did you?" Mia said knowingly.

Hermione looked at the mind reader in sadness. All Mia could do was put an arm around the girl, hugging her tightly.

"Well, it's like I tell myself _before_ I met Fred… Men are _all_ idiots." Mia shook her head as Hermione smiled at this. "But Fred could be an idiot at times, too, but the sweetness in him makes me forget it."

Hermione laughed, Mia smiling that she was able to accomplish making the witch smile. Even when she distrusts her and AJ.

**454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545454545**

—Hour and a half later—

AJ made it to the entrance hall five minutes before eight. All the girls that were standing around there all glared and sneered at AJ (some of them gaping at the sight of AJ wearing a dress). But the shape shifter completely ignored them all, too nervous of how Harry might react to the dress.

When Harry arrived in the entrance hall at eight o'clock that night, he found an unusually large number of girls lurking there, all of whom seemed to be staring at him resentfully as he approached AJ. She was wearing a very unique dress, with a low neckline, and her chain necklace on. Her hair had been re-streaked the same bright neon pink as it had when he first met her, and was hanging over her shoulders in messy curls.

Harry looked at her in surprise; he'd never expected her to clean up so well, or to wear such a low neckline.

"Hi," he said, once he reached AJ. "Shall we get going then?"

"Uh, sure, yeah." She said with a nervous smile. "So… where's the party?"

"Slughorn's office," Harry said, leading her up the marble staircase away from all the staring and muttering. "Did you hear, there's supposed to be a vampire coming?"

AJ looked doubtfully at him. "A vampire, are you serious?"

Harry nodded. The shifter attempted to pull her neckline up higher and looked thoughtfully off into space.

"Hmm, wonder is this shifting ability allows me to morph into half animal creatures, like werewolves, vampires, mer-people and pretty much everything else the stupid Ministry of Magic hates, and wants to keep an extra good eye on because they think they're all evil."

Harry looked at her oddly. "Are you actually going to see if you can shift into them?"

The shape shifter gave him a wicked grin. "Maybe… why? Don't want me to kill you or something?"

The two laughed loudly, they were already approaching Slughorn's office and the sounds of laughter, music, and loud conversation were growing louder with every step they took.

Whether it had been built that way, or because he had used magical trickery to make it so, Slughorn's office was much larger than the usual teacher's study. The ceiling and walls had been draped with emerald, crimson, and gold hangings, so that it looked as though they were all inside a vast tent. The room was crowded and stuffy and bathed in the red light cast by an ornate golden lamp dangling from the centre of the ceiling in which real fairies were fluttering, each a brilliant speck of light.

Loud singing accompanied by what sounded like mandolins issued from a distant corner. A haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.

"Harry, m'boy!" boomed Slughorn, almost as soon as Harry and AJ had squeezed in through the door. "Come in, come in, so many people I'd like you to meet!"

Slughorn was wearing a tasseled velvet hat to match his smoking jacket. Gripping Harry's arm so tightly he might have been hoping to Disapparate with him, Slughorn led him purposefully into the party; Harry seized AJ's hand and dragged her along with him.

"Harry, I'd like you to meet Eldred Worple, an old student of mine, author of _Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires_—and, of course, his friend Sanguini."

Worple, who was a small, stout, bespectacled man, grabbed Harry's hand and shook it enthusiastically; the vampire Sanguini, who was tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes, merely nodded. He looked rather bored. A gaggle of girls was merely standing close to him, looking curious and excited. AJ looked him up and down, out of pure curiosity of how a vampire actually looked.

_Considering turning vampirism, are we?_ North America asked in a bemused voice.

The shifter went to answer the voice, but she feared someone would overhear her.

"Harry Potter, I am simply delighted!" said Worple, peering short-sighted up into Harry's face. "I was saying to Professor Slughorn only the other day, _'Where is the biography of Harry Potter for which we have all been waiting?'_"

"Er," said Harry, "were you?"

AJ snorted into her hand, trying to cover it up as a cough.

"Just as modest as Horace described!" said Worple. "But seriously"—his manner changed; it became suddenly businesslike—"I would be delighted to write it myself-people are craving to know more about you, dear boy, craving! If you were prepared to grant me a few interviews, say in four-or five-hour sessions, why, we could have the book finished within months. And all with very little effort on your part, I assure you—ask Sanguini here if it isn't quite—_Sanguini, stay here_!" Added Worple suddenly stern, for the vampire had been edging toward the nearby group of girls, a rather hungry look in his eyes. "Here, have a pasty," said Worple, seizing one from a passing elf and stuffing it into Sanguini's hand before turning his attention back to Harry.

"My dear boy, the gold you could make, you have no idea—"

"I'm definitely not interested," said Harry firmly, "and I've just seen a friend of mine, sorry."

He pulled AJ (who really didn't need to be pulled alone, for she was just about to excuse herself for some excuse… which she had yet to make up) after him into the crowd. He had indeed just seen a long mane of brown hair disappear between what looked like two members of the Weird Sisters.

"Hermione! _Hermione_!"

"Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, AJ, you look very nice tonight!" Hermione added as she looked to AJ.

Hermione went straight to her dorm room to change and didn't see AJ before hand. The shifter managed to hide her look of extreme surprise and smiled back.

"Thanks, you too."

"What's happened to you?" asked Harry, for Hermione looked distinctly disheveled, rather as though she had just fought her way out of a thicket of Devil's Snare.

"Oh, I've just escaped—I mean, I've just left Cormac," she said. "Under the mistletoe," she added in explanation, as Harry continued to look questioningly at her.

AJ's lip twitched as she tried not to burst out laughing.

"Serves you right for coming with him," Harry told Hermione severely.

"I thought he'd annoy Ron most," said Hermione dispassionately. "I debated for a while about Zacharias Smith, but I thought, on the whole—"

"_You considered Smith_?" said Harry, revolted.

"Yes, I did, and I'm starting to wish I'd chosen him, McLaggen makes Grawp look a gentleman. Let's go this way, we'll be able to see him coming, he's so tall…"

The three of them made their way over to the other side of the room, scooping up goblets of mead on the way, realizing too late that Professor Trelawney was standing there alone.

"Hello," AJ forced herself to say politely to Professor Trelawney, knowing it was too late to run away.

"Good evening, my dear," said Professor Trelawney, focusing upon AJ with some difficulty. Harry could smell cooking sherry again. "I haven't seen you in my classes lately…"

"Really? Uh, well, Mia and I sit near the back." AJ tried to explain, trying desperately not to say anything that would trigger a remembrance of her Book.

"Oh, of course," said Professor Trelawney with an angry, drunken titter. "Or Dobbin, as I prefer to think of him. You would have thought, would you not, that now I am returned to the school Professor Dumbledore might have got rid of the horse? But no… we share classes… It's an insult, frankly, an insult, do you know…"

Professor Trelawney seemed too tipsy to have recognized Harry. Under cover of her furious criticisms of Firenze (how she got onto that topic, they would never know), Harry drew closer to Hermione and said, "Let's get something straight. Are you planning to tell Ron that you interfered at Keeper tryouts?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Do you really think I'd stoop that low?"

Harry looked at her shrewdly. "Hermione, if you can ask out McLaggen—"

"There's a difference," said Hermione with dignity. "I've got no plans to tell Ron anything about what might, or might not, have happened at Keeper tryouts."

"Good," said Harry fervently. "Because he'll just fall apart again, and we'll lose the next match—"

"Quidditch!" said Hermione angrily. "Is that all boys care about?"

"Hey, I care about it too, you know." AJ interrupted angrily, though was ignored.

"Cormac hasn't asked me one single question about myself, no, I've just been treated to 'A Hundred Great Saves Made by Cormac McLaggen' non-stop ever since—oh no, here he comes!"

She moved so fast it was as though she had Disapparated; one moment she was there, the next, she had squeezed between two guffawing witches and vanished.

"Seen Hermione?" asked McLaggen, forcing his way through the throng a minute later.

"No, sorry," said Harry, and he turned quickly to make conversation with AJ (who was, with the utmost regret, walking to Trelawney), forgetting for a split second to whom she was talking.

"Harry Potter!" said Professor Trelawney in deep, vibrant tones, noticing him for the first time.

"Oh, hello," said Harry unenthusiastically.

"My dear boy!" she said in a very carrying whisper. "The rumors! The stories! 'The Chosen One'! Of course, I have known for a very long time… The omens were never good, Harry… But why have you not returned to Divination? For you, of all people, the subject is of the utmost importance!"

AJ leaned back against the wall, watching in amusement as Harry got all the attention. He looked to her for some sort of support, but all he got was a wide smile and twinkling eyes.

"Ah, Sybill, we all think our subject's most important!" said a loud voice, and Slughorn appeared at Professor Trelawney's other side, his face very red, his velvet hat a little askew, a glass of mead in one hand and an enormous mince pie in the other. "But I don't think I've ever known such a natural at Potions!" said Slughorn, regarding Harry with a fond, if bloodshot, eye. "Instinctive, you know—like his mother! I've only ever taught a few with this kind of ability, I can tell you that, Sybill—why even Severus—"

And to Harry's horror, Slughorn threw out an arm and seemed to scoop Snape out of thin air toward them.

"Stop skulking and come and join us, Severus!" hiccupped Slughorn happily. "I was just talking about Harry's exceptional potion-making! Some credit must go to you, of course, you taught him for five years!"

Trapped, with Slughorn's arm around his shoulders, Snape looked down his hooked nose at Harry, his black eyes narrowed.

"Funny, I never had the impression that I managed to teach Potter anything at all."

"Well, then, it's natural ability!" shouted Slughorn. "You should have seen what he gave me, first lesson, Draught of Living Death—never had a student produce finer on a first attempt, I don't think even you, Severus—"

"Really?" said Snape quietly, his eyes still boring into Harry, who felt a certain disquiet.

The last thing he wanted was for Snape to start investigating the source of his new-found brilliance at Potions.

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" asked Slughorn.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology…"

"All the subjects required, in short, for an Auror," said Snape, with the faintest sneer.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Harry defiantly.

"And a great one you'll make too!" Boomed Slughorn.

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," AJ said unexpectedly. Everybody looked at her. She had an unusual serious look upon her face. "The Auror's are much to smart, and good looking for you to be a part of them."

Harry inhaled half his mead up his nose as he started to laugh, while the others just looked at her as if she were a deranged foreign exchange student (which she was). Really, it had been worth bringing AJ along, for more than one reason, come to think of it. Emerging from his goblet, coughing, sopping wet but still grinning, he saw something calculated to raise his spirits even higher: Draco Malfoy being dragged by the ear toward them by Argus Filch.

"Professor Slughorn," wheezed Filch, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor. He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out. Did you issue him with an invitation?"

Malfoy pulled himself free of Filch's grip, looking furious. "All right, I wasn't invited!" He said angrily. "I was trying to gatecrash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" said Filch, a statement at complete odds with the glee on his face. "You're in trouble, you are! Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, waving a hand. "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; you may stay, Draco."

Filch's expression of outraged disappointment was perfectly predictable; but why, Harry wondered, watching him, did Malfoy look almost equally unhappy? And why was Snape looking at Malfoy as though both angry and… was it possible?... a little afraid? AJ sniffed the air slightly, there was that foul odor that seemed to be following Draco around, and then there was a new scent, one of the other more pungent coming from Snape… fear.

But almost before Harry had registered what he had seen, Filch had turned and shuffled away, muttering under his breath; Malfoy had composed his face into a smile and was thanking Slughorn for his generosity, and Snape's face was smoothly inscrutable again.

"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away Malfoy's thanks. "I did know your grandfather, after all…"

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Malfoy quickly. "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known…"

Harry stared at Malfoy. It was not the sucking up that intrigued him; he had watched Malfoy do that to Snape for a long time. It was the fact that Malfoy did, after all, look a little ill. This was the first time he had seen Malfoy close up for ages; he now saw that Malfoy had dark shadows under his eyes and a distinctly grayish tinge to his skin.

The shape shifter followed Harry's gaze and also began studying Draco, while trying not to be sick from the disgusting smell that was radiating off of him at the same time. He looked almost like the vampire that author of something-or-other brought in.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," said Snape suddenly, interrupting AJ's train of thought.

"Oh, now, Severus," said Slughorn, hiccupping again, "it's Christmas, don't be too hard—"

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Snape curtly. "Follow me, Draco."

They left, Snape leading the way, Malfoy looking resentful. Harry stood there for a moment, irresolute, then said, "I'll be back in a bit, AJ—er—bathroom."

"All right," she replied with enormous curiosity.

"Why is your left eye gold?" Trelawney asked suddenly, peering closer at the shifter's eye.

"Um… professor, I'm really sorry, but I – uh – I've got to go." AJ stumbled over her words as she raced out of the room, picking up her long skirt along the way.

Once outside, she quickly looked around and saw Harry pull on his Invisibility Cloak, taking another quick look, she then shifted into a black cat and ran after Harry's scent.

It was easy, once out of the party, for Harry to pull his Invisibility Cloak out of his pocket and throw it over himself, or the corridor was quite deserted. What was more difficult was finding Snape and Malfoy. Harry ran down the corridor, the noise of his feet masked by the music and loud talk still issuing from Slughorn's office behind him. Perhaps Snape had taken Malfoy to his office in the dungeons… or perhaps he was escorting him back to the Slytherin common room… Harry pressed his ear against door after door as he dashed down the corridor until, with great jolt of excitement, he couched down to the keyhole of the last classroom in the corridor and heard voices.

AJ almost crashed into Harry, but managed to stop herself just in time and morphed into a tiny fly, then flying through a crack in the door, she could hear everything the two were saying, though, it was not actually something she wanted to hear.

"…cannot afford mistakes, Draco, because if you are expelled—"

"I didn't have anything to do with it, all right?"

"I hope you are telling the truth, because it was both clumsy and foolish. Already you are suspected of having a hand in it."

"Who suspect me?" said Malfoy angrily. "For the last time, I didn't do it, okay? That Bell girl must've had an enemy no one knows about—don't look at me like that! I know what you're doing, I'm not stupid, but it won't work—I can stop you!"

There was a pause and then Snape said quietly, "Ah… Aunt Bellatrix has been teaching you Occlumency, I see. What thoughts are you trying to conceal from your master, Draco?"

"I'm not trying to conceal anything from _him_, I just don't want _you_ butting in!"

Harry pressed his ear still more closely against the keyhole… What had happened to make Malfoy speak to Snape like this—Snape, toward whom he had always shown respect, even liking?

"So that is why you have been avoiding me this term? You have feared my interference? You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there Draco—"

"So put me in detention! Report me to Dumbledore!" jeered Malfoy.

There was another pause. Then Snape said, "You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of those things."

"You'd better stop telling me to come to your office then!"

"Listen to me," said Snap, his voice so low now that Harry had to push his ear very hard against the keyhole to hear. "I am trying to help you. I swore to your mother I would protect you. I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco—"

"Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection! It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"

"What is your plan?"

"It's none of you business!"

"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you—"

"I've got all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"

"You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes—"

"I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"

"Keep your voice down!" Spat Snape, for Malfoy's voice had risen excitedly. "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres—"

"What does it matter?" said Malfoy. "Defence Against the Dark Arts—it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act? Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts—"

"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!" said Snape. "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught. That Jasmine girl is not one to mess around with either, there is something about her that is not of any normal magic, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle—"

"They're not the only ones, I've got people on my side, better people! And Amarna Jasmine is nothing but a stuck up witch, I can take her."

"Then why not confide in me, and I can—"

"I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!"

There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, "You are speaking like a child. I quite understanding that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but—"

AJ flew quickly from the door, and not a second too soon either. Harry had barely a second's warning; he heard Malfoy's footsteps on the other side of the door and flung himself out of the way just at it burst open. Malfoy strode away down the corridor, past the open door of Slughorn's office, around the distant corner, and out of sight.

Hardly daring to breathe, Harry remained crouched down as Snape emerged slowly from the classroom. His expression unfathomable, he returned to the party. Harry remained on the floor, hidden beneath the cloak, his mind racing. AJ turned back into a cat, not caring if Harry saw her, and panted loudly, taking a hard swallow. Snape knew about her, she didn't know how, but he knew.

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I've been busy with work and crazycatluver has her reasons. Now, I hope you all liked this chapter, it's probably the longest one we have yet. So, please update soon!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

Harry slowly, and shakily, stood, taking the cloak off. He walked over to AJ, placing the Invisibility Cloak in his back pocket. He kneeled next to her, wondering if she had heard the whole conversation.

"AJ," he said softly, getting the younger teen's attention. "Shift back, no one's around."

AJ complied but was looking at the ground in a daze, still unable to believe what she had heard. Knowing that the Wiccan witch was in complete state of shock, Harry took hold of her arms and helped her stand.

"We better go find Mia now." Harry muttered more to himself rather than the girl he was helping guiding down the corridor.

Though Harry didn't know where exactly to go since he didn't know Mia too well and where she likes to hang out. Jogging up the stairs from the dungeons, Harry stops at the entrance, looking around the stairs, trying to figure out which way to go. A meow caught his attention and he saw Anubis sitting in the middle of a hallway, his tail swishing back and forth.

"Mia's outside," AJ said, slowly getting out of her shock. "Near the _Black Lake_."

Harry nodded. "Let's go then."

And the two started jogging down the corridor, Harry not letting go of AJ's arms.

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—_Black Lake_—

Mia was outside standing near the frozen lake; Harmony perched on her left shoulder. Her claws didn't bother the witch so much since she was wearing a sweater under her black long winter coat. Something within her gut told her something was amiss, and the feeling was never wrong. The mind reader came out to the grounds to clear her head, her mind feeling foggy and unclear.

Harmony was out looking for food when she saw her master and decided to be with her, sensing that something was wrong, though she kept a sharp eye out for something to eat. Before either of the two knew it, it had begun to snow lightly. Mia smiled slightly, holding up her right arm. Moving her fingers slowly, and almost dancingly, the snow in front of her started to move about to a silent music that the young teenager could only hear.

With a sigh, Mia dropped her hand, the snow still dancing upon the air. Harmony hooted softly, tilting her head to the side, amused by this. Rarely was it when she saw her master do the wandless magic and every time she did see it Harmony was always amazed by it since it did not include a wand. Hearing the crunching noise of the snow behind her, Mia let go of the ice power, the snow falling to the floor slowly as though it weren't dancing just a second ago.

"What are you doing out here in the cold?" A familiar male voice said.

Mia smiled and looked up to her right to see Ivan smiling down at her. She felt Harmony ruffled her feathers, her claws clutching a bit.

"I needed to think. What are you doing out here?"

Ivan shrugged, looking out to the frozen black lake. "I saw you standing out here through the hallway windows." He told her.

The hairs on the back of Mia's neck rose slightly as goose bumps rose on her arms. It wasn't that she was cold it was just the fact how Ivan told her that he saw her standing outside through the hallway windows. For some odd reason she didn't trust that fact and Mia didn't understand why.

"So… why did you need to clear your head?" Ivan asked, looking down at Mia. "I though you and AJ were friends again."

Mia smiled and looked ahead to the vast, dark, frozen lake. "We are friends but my mind is on something else." She told him.

"Mmm, want to talk about it?" Ivan pressed on.

Mia wanted to sigh in annoyance but took to just turning to Ivan, smiling politely.

"It's personal problems, Ivan, I'm sorry."

Ivan nodded his understanding but was really annoyed inside that this witch has yet to trust him enough to say things others don't know. He noted how Mia was staring into his eyes, something that looked like distrust. Then he felt something probing in his mind. He opened his mouth to say something when Mia spoke up first.

"I know we haven't talked since I've returned but I have to go."

Ivan frowned as he watched the mind reader walked back towards the castle.

"Why do you have to go?" Mia stopped, turning to him. "It's like you said, we haven't talked since you've returned."

Mia started walking backwards, pointing her right thumb behind her. "Because my friends need me."

Ivan looked past her to see Harry and AJ standing at the entrance of the courtyard. When he looked back surprised at the mind reader, Mia merely smiled, bringing down her hand and turning. Harmony, deciding that her master would be safe now that Harry and AJ were there, took off to find some food and meet up with her friends.

As Ivan watched his only link to the witch he needs to get close too walking away, anger rose inside him, his hands fisting at his side. But he made himself calm down, knowing it was a matter of time before he had the witch he wanted in his hands. But a scowl appeared on his handsome face as he thought of what the guy he was working for would start to doubt him since he can't deliver the witch the guy wanted.

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—Inside—

"What the hell happened?" Mia demanded, looking worriedly at AJ.

They were in an empty classroom, Mia and Harry standing before AJ, who was sitting at one of the desks. She was finally calmed down to go over her thoughts and was looking worriedly down at the desk she sat at.

"Snape's suspicious of me." AJ said softly, looking up at Harry and Mia. "He knows about _my_ magic, Mia! He knows my magic isn't normal!"

Mia eyes widen in fear and shakily sat down at a nearby desk. "What? B—but _how_?"

AJ shook her head. "Only Dumbledore and McGonagall know about my magic, no other teacher in this school knows!"

"Don't forget about Hagrid." Mia added before sighing worriedly, looking down to the ground in thought. "Maybe _he's_ working with Voldemort?" She suggested, not able to think up any other reasons.

Harry was a bit taken back as no one ever dare say that name and not shudders in fear. But he had to remind himself that AJ and Mia weren't ordinary witches and did not grow in fear of the name in the Wizarding World.

"Wait! Hagrid can't be working with Voldemort!" Harry defended his friend.

Mia shook her head. "No, I wasn't talking about Hagrid; I was talking about… _him_." She stated lamely.

"Then exactly who are you two talking about?" Harry asked, looking between the two teens.

AJ glared at Mia before looking at Harry. "Don't worry about it; it's not of your business."

"**_You're gonna have to tell him some time soon, AJ!_**" Mia told her friend, confusing Harry from the secret language.

"**_It's not of his damn business, Mia!_**" AJ argued back, standing.

"**_Maybe Dumbledore wanted you to be friends with him so that he could help us in fighting of that damn priest that's looking for you!_**" Mia yelled back, also standing. "**_Not just so you can protect _him_ and his _friends**"

"Damn it! Tell me what the hell is going on!" Harry yells angrily, looking between the two arguing girls.

He was frustrated of not knowing a single word they were yelling to one another. Mia and AJ both shook their heads and turned, both walking a few ways the other direction. Harry shakes his head at how almost twin-like the two friends were.

"You two can't keep me in the dark forever!" He told them sternly, trying not to raise his voice in anger.

AJ shoved a hand through her hair as Mia held back her hair from her face, closing her eyes tightly in annoyance and to check her anger. Harry continued to stare back and forth between the girls. He wondered exactly what happened back in the states to make these two so secretive with their own lives.

"You really don't want to know what happened to us, Harry," Mia said, Harry looking over to the girl. "It was that bad."

Harry uttered a curse under his breath for letting his guard down on his mind. AJ chuckled slightly, looking over her shoulder at Harry, who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"It sucks to have a mind reader as a friend but you get used to her." AJ teased with a smile.

Mia turned around and stuck out her tongue to AJ's back, who in turn rolled her eyes.

"Real mature, Mia, sticking your tongue on me when I have my back turned." AJ replied without turning around to face them.

"Let's go to the tower, it's getting late." Mia suggested with a sigh, not really wanting to know how AJ knew that she stuck out her tongue.

So the trio walked back to the Gryffindor tower, Harry believing that the two girls had had enough for one night so decided to question them later. They walked in silence; the girls in deep thought while Harry only thought of the break that was to come in a week or so.

"Are you guys going to the Burrow this Christmas?" Harry asked, looking over to Mia. "Mrs. Weasley told Ron that Kingsley was going."

Mia opened her mouth slightly, shaking her head. She looked over to AJ, who was looking down at the ground, her hair covering her face. Harry also looked over to the shape shifter.

"She also asked you to come, AJ."

AJ quickly looked up at Harry, completely surprise by this. Though, she narrowed her eyes, wondering if he was telling the truth or not. Noting this, Harry quickly put up his hands in defense.

"I mean it, even ask Ron." Harry urged on.

AJ sighed giving the Fat Lady the password to enter the Gryffindor tower. Once they walked through, AJ saw her chance to see if Harry was telling the truth or not as Ron was sitting on the couch before the fireplace. She walked over there, Mia and Harry behind her.

"Hey, Ron," AJ called, Ron turning his head to look at her. "Did your mom really ask you to tell me to come to the Burrow with you guys?"

Ron frowned in confusion at the shape shifter. "What are you talking about?"

AJ turned to Harry, glaring at him. "I knew it!"

And she stormed off. Mia looked to Harry before jogging after her friend, calling out her name. Harry glared at Ron, sighing in frustration.

"You _really_ don't remember the letter your mother sent you, Ron, and asking AJ to come along with us!" Harry asked his friend in irritation that he would forget something like this.

Ron's eyes suddenly widen and turned to the girl's staircase. "Bloody hell, I forgot! I was too busy thinking about what you said about Hermione."

Harry threw up his hands, rolling his eyes. "The one time you actually listen to me, you forget other important things. Thanks mate."

"I'm sorry!" Ron cried, following his friend up the boy's staircase.

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—Mia and AJ's room—

"Just accept the invitation, AJ!" Mia said almost desperately once they were behind closed doors. "Harry really wants you to go to the Burrow!"

Mia wanted to spend Christmas with her friends and cousin, but so far her best friend was just being her usual stubborn self. She didn't know if she would be happy knowing that her best friend was all by herself at the castle spending Christmas with others who they don't know and couldn't leave for the holiday.

"No! Ron didn't even _know_ what the hell Harry was talking about!" AJ shook her head, falling on to her back on her bed. "I bet Harry just made the whole thing up about Mrs. Weasley asking Ron for me to join them."

Mia was about to reply—although she didn't know what to tell the shape shifter—when a knock interrupted them.

"Come in," Both girls said in frustration.

McGonagall walked in with a raised eyebrow, wondering at the frustration of the two teens. Mia flushed in embarrassment at the way she answered the knock.

"Miss McGonagall…" Mia looked over to AJ then over to the older witch. "What can we do for you?" Mia stuttered, standing by her bed.

"I only came to tell Miss Jasmine that Dumbledore has arranged for you to leave with Mia to the Burrow a day before the Christmas vacation next week." AJ sat up on her elbows, looking at the older witch curiously. "The Burrow is going to be highly guarded of Aurora's for Mia's sake and would stay there until you return with Harry and the others."

Nodding, McGonagall turned and left quickly. Mia looked over to AJ, who looked over to her in surprise. The two girls grinned at each other before laughing in joy. But Mia suddenly got serious and pointed her forefinger at the shape shifter.

"You have to start packing! I'll wash any dirty clothes you have left."

AJ rolled her eyes at her enthusiastic friend. But she did not protest, not wanting to ruin Mia's happiness.

"Do what you want to do, Mia." AJ told her, getting up from her bed. "I'll be back before dawn."

Mia nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Have fun and stay out of trouble."

As AJ transformed and Anubis spread out his wings, Mia stopped her owl, as she wanted to send a letter to Kingsley. Harmony, however, fluffed her feathers in annoyance and anger as she was hungry.

"I know you're hungry, here,"

Mia took out a ham sandwich she was saving and took off the top bread. Harmony quickly devoured the meat. Bobbing her head up and down as a thank you, Mia shook her head and handed her the short letter she had just written to her cousin and a longer one for Fred, which she written just an hour before going outside earlier.

"Be careful girl, he's probably at work at the moment." Mia told her softly.

She watched as Harmony flew out into the sky, the darkness and the snow quickly making her vanish from sight.

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—Friday night before Christmas vacation—

"Why," AJ started, hauling her trunk up the stairs leading to Dumbledore's office. "Do we have to _floo_ to the Burrow? Why can't we just take the train?"

Mia rolled her eyes for the hundredth time. They were to meet McGonagall in Dumbledore's office during dinner time so as to not let others know they were to leave earlier. The teens were in a deserted hallway, the gargoyle just a few feet from them.

"Because the train is only making a one-way stop from Hogwarts to the station 9 ¾, that's why." Mia told her irritated. She turned to the gargoyle, "_Lemon Drops_,"

AJ was taken back as the gargoyle sprang aside and a staircase begun to move upwards. The two teens jumped on to the staircase and moved up to the door. Mia knocked on the door, her trunk levitating behind her. AJ glared at it, wishing that she remembered how to do that too rather hauling her own.

"Come in," Came a muffled female reply.

"How the heck do you get your trunk to float like that?" AJ asked as they entered the office.

"By practicing." was Mia's short reply.

AJ grunted, dropping her trunk on the floor and closed the door behind her. McGonagall looked at the shape shifter amused. The shape shifter, however, suddenly frown as she didn't see the old wizard in his own office.

"Where's Dumbledore?" She asked the Transfiguration professor.

"Do not worry, Jasmine. Now," The old witch turned to Mia. "Your cousin will be waiting for you on the other side. Be safe," McGonagall looked to AJ. "_Both_ of you."

Looking to her friend, Mia first stepped towards the fireplace and grabbed a hand full of floo powder. She stepped inside and threw down the powder.

"The Burrow," She said loudly.

As the emerald green flames died down, AJ groaned and walked forward. She grabbed a hand full of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. Throwing down the powder, AJ yelled out her destination quickly before taking a gulp of breath. When she was thrown out of the fireplace, she took deep gulps before sneezing as the amount of magic from flooing had caught on to her clothing and the amount of magic in the Burrow.

She got on her knees after five minutes of nonstop sneezing and looked up to see Mia and Fred kissing before her, Fred looking as though he wasn't going to let her go anytime soon. AJ made a face at them, Kingsley helping her stand.

"Why don't you guys get a room?" AJ complained.

"No! I don't think so! I rather have them out in the open." Kinsley said protectively.

AJ rolled her eyes but smiled in satisfaction to see Mia and Fred blushing as red as the Weasley's hair. But she noted that Fred was grinning stupidly, probably have liked the idea of getting a room with Mia.

"Okay," AJ dusted the soot off her hands, looking around. "Where are we sleeping?"

"You two must be hungry!" Molly cried before anyone could say a word, coming from the kitchen. "Dinner is about done, and you would be taking Fred and George's bedroom."

AJ raided an eyebrow at the woman. "And where would they be sleeping?"

"We got the couch." Fred muttered.

"Not very pleasant," George added, walking into the living room to stand next to his twin.

"No, we can't do that!" Mia started protesting. "It's your old room."

Molly waved her hand at the teen. "Do not worry, deary, Fred was the one who offered anyways."

At this, George hit his twin upside the head. "And without my saying!"

In turn, Molly hit George upside the head. "Don't go blaming him! At least he has a nice girl to look out for." She told the oldest twin.

AJ smirked as she noted Mia biting the inside of her right cheek, blushing. "Well, not that we have officially embarrassed Mia twice in one night," AJ said teasingly, Mia blushing further. "Let's eat! I'm starving."

AJ walked towards the kitchen following Molly and George, Kingsley behind her.

"You're always hungry." Mia countered as AJ passed her by.

AJ rolled her eyes and decided to just ignore her friend. Instead the shape shifter looked to Kingsley.

"What about you?" Kingsley looked down at her, raising a curious eyebrow. "You staying throughout Christmas and New Year?"

"Yeah, so I can keep an eye on them," Kingsley whispered, throwing his thumb behind them to Mia and Fred.

AJ mocked a horrid look, the corner of her lips itching to smirk. "Trying to keep an eye on Mia? How can you not trust her!"

Kingsley snorted, both wizard and witch sitting down, filling their plates immediately.

"No, I _trust_ Mia, it's Fred I need to keep an eye on."

AJ frown, looking up at the wizard. "_Why_?"

"He's two years _older_," Kingsley shook his head. "I _know_ what boys his age are thinking!"

AJ laughed but quickly turned it into a cough so as not to get too much attention.

"You do know, however, that Mia can take care of herself." It was a statement not question.

Kingsley sighed irritated, stabbing his food. "Yes, I know."

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—Outside, after dinner—

Kingsley and Mia were sitting at a bench facing the snowy woods nearby, Mia looking up at the bright stars. There was not a single cloud up in the sky that night and both cousins were grateful. They were quiet, neither of them wanting to break the peaceful silence between them. But Mia remembered back to the conversation she had with AJ and Harry at Hogwarts, and had a few questions that no one else could answer.

"Kingsley?" Mia whispered.

"Hm?" was her cousin's reply.

Mia looked to her cousin, who continued to look at the woods. "Can I ask you something that you _can't_ tell anyone from the Order?"

Kingsley looked to his cousin, frowning in confusion. "What have you and AJ gotten yourself into now?"

Mia sighed, turning so she was fully facing her cousin. "_Please_ promise me that whatever I'm about to ask you that it stays between the two of us."

Kingsley carefully watched his cousin, wondering what it could possibly be that she required him to not tell anyone from the Order.

"All right, I promise." He said, giving her full attention.

Mia looked down, biting her lower lip. She promise, as always, to AJ that she wasn't going to tell anyone. But there was just too many questions that needed answering to figure out what exactly was going on. With a sigh, Mia looked back at the Burrow then to her cousin, who was waiting for her patiently to tell him.

"What… what can you tell about an Unbreakable Vow?"

Kingsley was taken back, wondering where Mia had heard this from. As though reading his mind—although she didn't—Mia explained why she asked. She told him of what AJ and Harry had heard but left out who it was just in case. Kingsley nodded, taking everything in carefully.

"Well…" Kingsley started, looking to his cousin. "An Unbreakable Vow is… well… a vow that's unbreakable."

Mia laughed lightly, shaking her head. "I guess I should have been more specific. It doesn't really take a genius to figure out what an Unbreakable Vow is." Kingsley chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "What I meant was… what happens when someone breaks it?"

Kingsley sighed, shrugging his shoulders a bit. "Well, you die. Simple as that."

Mia frown, looking down at her hands. Kingsley saw this gesture and frown even further.

"Please tell that you didn't…" He trailed off, not really wanting to think about it.

Mia quickly looked up at him, shaking her head. "No! It was just that I was curious, that's all."

Kingsley sighed in relief and placed a hand around her shoulders. He kissed her forehead when Mia leaned forward in his one-arm hug. She could tell that he was worried about her as he has been overly protective since she got to the Burrow.

The two cousins sat like that far into the night, neither of them tired to go to bed. They only spoke few words about anything and everything. When Kingsley thought it was now too late to be out and about—especially out in the cold snow—he looked down to his cousin only to find her fast asleep against him. Smiling to himself, Kingsley took out a wand and transformed a large blanket to cover themselves for the cold night.

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—Five days later—

"So Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely _offering to help him_?" Ron said for what seemed the hundredth time.

Mia slams down the knife she was using to cut potatoes on the counter, her nerves at the very edge.

"If you ask that once more," Harry said, knowing Mia could do damage to him (and because it was getting annoying to him too)." I'm going to stick this sprout—"

"I'm only checking!" Ron defended.

"Well, stop checking, damn it!" Mia yelled, glaring back at him.

Shaking her head, the teenager looked back down at the potatoes and continued cutting. The three of them were in the kitchen alone; the boy's at the sink, peeling a mountain of spouts, snow drifting past the window in front of them. While Mia had to cut up potatoes and carrots. Mia ignored them for the time being, having already heard this conversation from AJ and Harry back at Hogwarts, also when she and Kingsley were alone here at the Burrow.

"You die," Mia heard Ron said simply. "Fred and George tried to get me to make one when I was about five. I nearly did too; I was holding hands with Fred and everything when Dad founds us. He went mental. Only time I've ever seen Dad as angry as Mum. Fred reckons his left buttock has never been the same since."

Mia dropped the potato and the knife, laughing. She brought up a hand to keep quiet, not wanting to alert anyone else about this. Harry shook his head and turned away from Mia, looking at the sprout in his hand.

"Yeah, well, passing over Fred's left buttock—"

"I beg your pardon?" Fred's voice said as the twins entered the kitchen.

Mia continued to laugh, tears running down her cheeks. She slowly started to calm herself when she looked to Fred. The mind reader only laughed harder, holding her stomach as she slid to the floor.

"Now, I must ask," Fred started, a bit annoyed.

"What is so funny?" George finished.

Mia only waved at them, too painful to talk or even give them a proper lie. AJ entered the kitchen when she heard all the laughing from the mind reader. She raised an eyebrow at her, wondering if her friend had finally cracked. Finally calming down, Mia cleared her throat, wiping her tears.

"I think I lost my mind." She said teasingly, looking over to AJ.

The shape shifter shook her head with a smile, knowing that her friend read her mind. She turned and walked back into the dinning room to continue her talk with Kingsley. Mia stood and turned back to the potatoes and carrots, needing to be done.

The four boys looked at each other and shook their head. This was going to be the one Christmas that everyone will remember for the rest of their lives.

"Aaah, Fred, look at this. They're using knives and everything. Bless them." George said teasingly.

"I'll be seventeen in two and a bit month's time." Ron told them grumpily. "And then I'll be able to do it by magic!"

Mia placed the knife down and turned to George, who had sat at the kitchen table with his feet up on it.

"Now, _what_, may I ask, is so wrong with using knives and everything?" Mia asked him with a glare. "There's nothing wrong with it, you know? You can't just be using magic _all_ the time."

"Aah! But you're a Muggle-born," George said as though that was the reason. "You grew up not _knowing_ magic until you came here."

Mia shook her head. "Hello! I grew up a Wiccan witch! I did know magic before I came to London, George."

"Yet you don't use magic to do your biddings." George argued.

"That's because I'm not _lazy_ like you." Mia argued back.

George sighed. "I'm not lazy, I'm… just doing things easier."

Mia rolled here eyes. "That's called being lazy, George."

George looked over to his twin. "Are you going to let her speak to me like that?"

"Yeah," Fred said simply.

Before George could say a word, Molly entered the room. She raised an eyebrow at George, who quickly took off his feet from the table.

"Fred, George, I'm sorry dears but Remus is arriving tonight, so Bill will have to squeeze in with you two."

"No problem," George told his mother.

"Then, as Charlie isn't coming home, that just leaves Harry and Ron in the attic, and if Fleur shares with Ginny—"

"—that'll make Ginny's Christmas—" Fred muttered.

"—everyone should be comfortable. Well, they'll have a bed, anyways." Molly said, sounding slightly harassed.

"Mrs. Weasley, Kingsley, AJ, and I can go to Kingsley apartment if you need more room." Mia said, trying to reason with her.

Molly waved a hand at her. "Nonsense, I want _everyone_ to be here for Christmas rather going back in forth. Don't worry dear." And she walked out.

Mia sighed, letting Fred rub her back, kissing her forehead.

"Don't worry; my mom is _always_ like this." Fred told her.

"So I've noticed." Mia said with a shake of her head. "Okay, both of you out! We need to finish this before Remus arrives for dinner."

"Wait!" Ron cried to his brothers. "Can't you help us with these sprouts? You could just use your wand and then we'll be free too!"

"No, I don't think we can we can do that." Fred said seriously. "It's very character-building stuff, learning to peel sprouts without magic, makes you appreciate how difficult it is for Muggles and Squibs."

"Well, we're off to the village," George said, standing up. "There's a very pretty girl working in the paper shop who thinks my card tricks are something marvelous… almost like real magic…"

Mia raised an eyebrow at Fred, who held up his hands in defense.

"He's the one flirting, not me!" Fred cried.

Mia hummed but gave him a peck on the cheek, knowing that she could trust him.

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**A/N: Sorry to have update late! Writer's block. Will, I hope you liked this chapter, please update soon!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

Dinner came around and Mia was sitting up the table while Molly set the food upon the counter. Everyone was in the living room, making small talk before dinner. Mia set down the last bowl of food and turned to the kitchen only to squeak and jump back against the table.

"Damn it, George; don't do that!" She hissed, slapping his left arm.

"Ow!" He whined, holding his arm. "And I'm not George, I'm Fred!" He said in a pretend hurt tone.

Mia only rolled her eyes, pushing him aside. "Please, I can tell you two apart, _George_, even _without_ reading your mind! Besides," Mia smirked, turning around. "Fred's a few inches taller than you; I reach his collarbone, I pass yours."

And she entered the kitchen, George muttering under his breath back into the living room. He sat down next to his twin, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"She passes; she can tell us apart." He stated.

Everyone, except AJ, who had heard this bit, stared in surprise at the twins.

"How is that possible?" Ron asked skeptical.

"When _we_ can't even tell you two apart?" Hermione tells him.

"It's quite easy, actually;" Everyone turned to see Mia entered the living room, still grinning. "If you know what you're looking for, you'll find it." She told them mysteriously. "And AJ could tell them apart as well, but only by the scent of their magic."

"What?" Bill asked confused.

Mia ignored him and turned to AJ. "Do you still want to talk to _**Remus about the sword and book**_ or do you want to wait for another opportunity so you two can be alone?" She asked the shifter.

"I think I'll ask tonight," AJ said with a nod. "I want to get this over with."

Mia nodded. "Good, 'cause he's here."

Just as she said that, someone knocked on the kitchen door. AJ merely shook her head as Mia smiled innocently at the surprise looks on everyone—especially those who have never experience one of her or AJ's weird moments—turning and walking over to the door. Molly walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Who is it?" She asked through the closed door timidly.

"It's Remus Lupin, Molly." Remus' muffled reply answered through the door.

Before Molly could ask a question, Mia put a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling at the older woman.

"It's really him, Molly; don't worry."

Molly nodded before going back into the kitchen, Mia opening the door. She smiled in greeting at the half-werewolf, letting him enter. Remus muttered a greeting, shrugging off his coat. Mia took it and hung it up on a hanger next to the door, Remus giving his thanks. But before he could walk over to the living room, Mia stopped him.

"AJ needs to talk to you about the sword and the book; is there any way that you can stay a few hours after dinner and everyone has gone to bed?"

Remus looked up at the ceiling in thought for a few moments before looking at the young girl, nodding.

"Yes, I can stay, but _only_ until two in the morning, after that, I have to go." Remus saw the disappointed look before the young teenager masked it with a smile and quickly said, "But I'll be coming by Christmas and Christmas Eve, I just need to keep up appearances at the place I'm at right now."

Mia nodded, smiling. "Great! Now, come on, everyone's waiting." She whispered before motioning him to the living room.

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Dinner was quite amusing, especially when Fleur had 'accidentally' spilled wine on her dress. Mia held back her smile, looking to AJ knowingly. However, Molly smiled at her—somehow knowing it was AJ's doing—her eyes twinkling in mischief. AJ merely nodded, continuing to eat as though nothing has happened.

Mia spoke with Bill, Kingsley, and Fred whom she was holding hands with underneath the table of what's been happening at the school and out in the magical world. AJ was trying to speak with Remus of her sword and book, but Harry kept interrupting as he hasn't seen his father's best friend in a while. So for the moment, AJ let them be, eating her dinner quietly. She would once in a while join a conversation, but kept to herself mostly.

As Harry found out, Arthur was not able to be with the family for a while as the Ministry kept him busy. Of course, with all that's been going on Harry wasn't really bothered as he was able to catch up with Remus of what has been happening since the death of Sirius Black. Though the half-werewolf didn't say much about himself rather he asked of what Harry has been doing and how he was holding up.

After dinner everyone went to sit in the living room, which Ginny decorated so lavishly. It was like sitting in a paper-chain explosion—AJ had the time of her life making fun of it, Mia not making her friend stop this time. Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Mia, and AJ were the only ones who knew that the angel on top of the tree was actually a garden gnome.

It had bitten Fred on the ankle as he pulled up carrots for Christmas dinner, then it tried to lunge itself to Mia when she tried to blow him away. Stupified by an angry Fred, painted gold, stuffed into a miniature tutu and small wings glued to its back—thanks to Mia—it glowered down at them all, the ugliest angel Harry, AJ, and Mia had ever seen with a large bald head like a potato and rather hairy feet.

They were all supposed to be listening to a Christmas broadcast by Molly's favorite singer, Celestina Warbeck, whose voice was warbling out of the large wooden wireless set. Fleur, who seemed to find Celestina very dull, was talking so loudly in the corner that a scowling Molly kept pointing her wand at the volume control so that Celestina grew louder and louder.

Under cover of a particularly jazz number called _'A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love'_ Kingsley and George started a game of Exploding Snap with Ginny. Ron kept shooting Bill and Fleur covert looks, as thought hoping for tips. Meanwhile, Remus sat beside the fire with AJ, the duo staring into its depth as though neither of them could hear Celestina's voice.

Mia and Fred sat near them, hand in hand, speaking to each other in low voices; also not hear the music of Celestina. Harry sat next to Arthur, whom awoken from Molly's past memories, Harry deciding to speak with him.

"I know you're busy and all but have you found anything about the book or sword?" AJ whispered to Remus at the same time Harry spoke with Arthur.

Fred halted in mid-sentence, having over-heard the question. Noting this, Mia took hold of Fred's face and kissed him in hopes of distracting from AJ's conversation—which was working. Now Ron was looking to them, trying to get even more tips. Remus looked around, Mia winking at him before closing her eyes. The werewolf smirked, shaking his head and looking to AJ who rolled her eyes.

"The sword is you true source of power. As you grow, so do your powers. To be able to control them you would need to place them into the sword."

AJ frowned, nodding her head as she concentrated on what Remus was telling her, looking at the floor blankly.

"As for the book, the other page's of the history it's completely concealed by mounts of magic I've never encounter, but have read only in books."

"Dang!" AJ muttered angrily, somewhat disappointed that Remus also couldn't figure out the other side of the book.

"_**Why don't we talk more about the book tonight after everyone has gone to bed?**_" Mia suggested.

AJ looked to her friend to see her only looking at a confused—but smiling—Fred. The shape shifter rolled her eyes, looking back at Remus, who also had a confused expression from the unknown language Mia had just spoken.

"_**Don't do that; you look weird when you're speaking and not looking at me.**_" AJ complained.

Mia simply rolled her eyes and leaned into Fred's arms, snuggling into him so their bodies molded together.

"Let's do this more tonight?" AJ told the werewolf. "When everyone's asleep and not listening,"

Remus looked to Fred and Mia holding hands, Fred straining to hear them.

"Alright, when everyone goes to bed," he nodded in agreement.

"Eez eet over?" Fleur asked loudly. "Thank goodness, what an 'orrible—"

Arthur quickly leapt to his feet, saying loudly, "Shall we have a night cap, then? Who wants eggnog?"

"What have you been up to lately?" Harry asked Remus as everyone—except Mia and Fred—stretched and broke into conversation.

"What is the secret you and AJ carry, love?" Fred asked as he brushed some hair from Mia's face.

The two year younger teen sighed, looking into the fire. "Some things are better left in secret, Fred." She whispered in a far away voice.

"You don't think I can keep a secret?" Fred asked a bit confused.

"It's not that," Mia said, sitting up tiredly, Fred doing the same.

He studied her and was about to say something when Harry's voice interrupted.

"But you are normal!" Harry said fiercely. "You've just got a—a problem—"

Remus burst out laughing. "Sometimes you remind me a lot of James. He called it my 'furry little problem' in company. Many people were under the impression that I owned a badly behaved rabbit."

Mia, AJ, and Harry smiled hearing this, their thoughts away from the problems they have; at least for one of them.

"Don't you trust me enough to know your past, Mia?" Fred said loudly and sternly.

Mia growled in frustration. "I don't want to talk about it Fred!" she yelled, standing and walking away.

Fred stood angrily. "They're just questions Mia!" Fred yelled back.

By now everyone stopped their conversations and looked at the couple in either confusion or sympathy.

Mia turned around, angry. "Questions I can't answer, Fred!"

"Don't you trust me?" Fred yelled hurtfully.

"You'll be in danger, damn it! Don't you understand how dangerous my past is right now? Especially with this war that's _coming_?"

Mia had now tears in her eyes from both anger and guilt. Before Fred could say a word, Mia turned and ran up the stairs. Everyone stayed quiet, hearing a door slam and muffled sobbing. Fred was about to go but both Kingsley and AJ stopped him.

"I think you've done enough damage," AJ glare at Fred.

Kingsley pushed AJ, who shrugged innocently. "Let her be for now, Fred. It would do you some good not to ask any more questions of her past." He warned him before walking away with the teenager.

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Once everyone went to their rightfully bed, Kingsley walked into the Weasley twin's old bedroom to see Mia lying on her side on her bed, wide awake. He sighed, sitting on the edge. They didn't say a word, seemingly able to communicate without words at that moment. Kingsley then brushed some hair from her face and leaned forward, kissing Mia's forehead.

"AJ and Remus are waiting for you downstairs."

Mia nodded and got up. She hugged her second cousin before walking out of the room. Kingsley shook his head, stood, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Teenagers," he muttered jokingly to himself.

'_I heard that,'_ Mia glowered but rolled her eyes knowing he was somewhat right.

Walking into the kitchen she saw AJ and Remus looking over the S.E.A.N book with much interest. Mia looked down at the book only to see it black, not really surprised that she couldn't see it. AJ, however, was a bit surprised that Remus, like before, read half the book, the powerful spells black to him.

"Perhaps he can see half the book because he's half-werewolf?" Mia suggested, sitting in front of the book.

AJ hummed, shaking her head. "No, it's something else." She said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at the older wizard.

Remus continued to look at the book, not wanting to meet the young witch in the eyes.

"So exactly what do you need me for?" Remus asked, closing the book and looking at the two Wiccan witches. "I already told you what I know."

"And because you've been under ground and undercover, you really can't find anything else, can you?" Mia voiced out loud.

Remus cleared his throat, squirming side to side, uncomfortable.

"Will you stop reading everyone's minds? No one wants to feel uncomfortable." AJ said a bit amused as she saw the grown man next to her squirm.

Both sighing, AJ and Mia gave a look to each other before looking at the curious werewolf. None of them said a word, but the silence was getting to them all.

"There's no word of some… _other_ evil roaming or becoming allied with…" AJ tried to remember the name.

"Voldemort," Mia suddenly said.

"Yeah, that dude." AJ said, nodding her head.

Remus frowned, wondering what evil the young girl was talking about. "None that I've heard, no."

AJ sighed in relief as Mia let loose the breath she was holding.

"Perhaps it is time you should tell me why you both had left America."

The two girls looked at each other, then at the werewolf with remorse. Remus sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer from either of them no matter how hard he tried. He stood, nodding to the both of them.

"Very well, keep your secrets. I must be off; you two behave." He warned them pointing-ly, shrugging on his cloak.

"Always," AJ said innocently.

"We'll try," Mia said at the same time with mischief.

Remus stared at Mia, as was AJ, and couldn't help but laugh. With a shake of his head, Remus left the house, Mia standing and locking the door. The two girls blew out the candles before heading upstairs.

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"Do you really think that the priest will join Voldemort?" Mia asked AJ as she lay on Fred's old bed sleepily.

"Don't know, but it's possible." AJ replied, opening the window. "Try to rest."

"Okay, be careful." Mia replied half asleep.

AJ transformed and flew away with Anubis, Harmony, and Hedwig. Mia turned to her left aside and closed her eyes. Despite being tired, sleep wouldn't come to her. She was still thinking about Fred and the danger she put on him. Sighing in frustration, Mia curled up, hugging the covers to herself. She didn't her the door open or the footsteps crossing the room. Mia, however, quickly sat up, ready to fight some sort of enemy when she felt the bed shift.

She frowned in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Fred merely smiled, itching to touch her hair. "I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier. I shouldn't have tried to make you tell me your secrets. I should be a little more respectful of your past and the secrets you hold."

Mia sighed, bringing her knees closer to her chest. "No, I'm sorry. Even if you don't know everything, you're still in danger and I should have never put you in that situation."

Fred shook his head as Mia bit her lower lip. He reached out and took one of her hands in his, holding it tightly, but not enough to hurt her.

"Listen, I don't care what happened in your past." Mia frowned, Fred sighing in frustration. "I mean, I _care_ but not so much if it's going to drive you away. I just want you to be with me in the present, and maybe in the future, that's all that matters."

Mia smiled sadly, placing a hand to his cheek. She blushed as Fred leaned into her hand, his eyes closed. She giggled slightly as he reminded her of a cat. Opening his eyes, Fred leaned in and kissed her forehead before getting up, muttering a goodnight. He turned to leave but Mia quickly took hold of his hand, looking up at him innocently.

"Stay, please? AJ won't be back till morning and I'm getting sick of sleeping alone." She told him with a blush.

Fred hesitated, knowing what both his mother and Kingsley would do to him should they find out. But he nodded anyways and slid in next to the girl who moved to give him room. Mia than moved closer to him and placed her head on his chest, her left arm over his waist. Fred sighed in content, holding the younger girl even closer. He would leave as soon as AJ returned, that way he could live a few more years. With that in mind, the seventeen year old fell asleep.

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—Morning—

AJ flew back in, exhausted, with Anubis and Harmony behind her. Hedwig had returned to Harry, wanting to sleep off the day and be warm. At the last second a snow storm decided to invade them, blanketing the ground in all new snow. Transforming back, AJ was on her knees on her bed, looking over to Mia on pure instinct. Eyes widening, AJ tried to scramble up with a cry of 'Oh my gosh!' and fell to the floor, hitting the desk that screeched back.

Fred sat up with his wand out, looking about the room sleepily as Mia pushed up on her hands, too tired to register what was going on. The door then burst opens, Kingsley the first one running in, wand held high, soon followed by Bill, Arthur, George, and Harry. All eyes landing on Fred and Mia, Kingsley's eyes narrowed dangerously, his grip tightening on his wand.

"What the hell are you doing on Mia's bed?" He yelled angrily.

Eyes widening (and not to mention, wide awake), Fred scrambled off his old bed, stuttering as he tried to explained. Kingsley thrust his wand into George's hands and made a reach for Fred, but Bill and Arthur (trying their hardest) held him back. The wizard yells out threats and curses, while Molly (who came to stand next to Kingsley) merely yelled at her son, scolding him, and threatening him.

"Oh, for the love of—" Mia muttered, standing up on the bed.

Right when Kingsley got out of Bill and Arthur's grip, and nearly reached to choke Fred, Mia used her wind power to blow him back, the fifteen year old jumping off the bed to land in between the two she most cared about.

"I asked Fred to stay last night because I was getting sick of sleeping by myself as AJ goes out every night!" Mia explained, wanting nothing more to sleep some more.

Growling, Kingsley backed off as Fred sighed in relief. Mia dropped her power, waiting for her cousin to make some sudden move.

"Now, if you would excuse me, I want to get ready as I'm wide awake now,"

Everyone started to pile out, Fred quickly kissing Mia before getting cuffed by his mother on his way out. Once the door closed AJ started to laugh, Mia throwing a pillow at her.

"That was your entire fault, you know!"

AJ gasped an apology, not able to stop laughing. Rolling her eyes, Mia gathered some change of clothes and walked out. AJ fell upon her bed, wondering if she could sleep for an hour.

_"You are mean to have done that, Master; it's hard enough that they don't see each other!"_ Anubis scolded her.

"It wasn't my fault, it took me by surprise." AJ defended sleepily.

Falling on to her bed on her stomach, AJ quickly fell asleep. Anubis rolled his eyes but jumped on top of his master, curled up, and went to sleep.

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AJ woke up an hour later, feeling slightly angry, though she did not know why. Shaking her head, she gathered some clothes and went to take a quick shower. Walking down the stairs, the anger she was feeling grew tenfold as she heard Fleur's voice. At the bottom of the stairs, AJ glared at the older woman, her anger continuing to rise.

"Shut up! No one wants to hear your broken English anymore!" She yelled, everyone quieting and looking over to AJ in bewilderment.

"Ezcuse me?" Fleur replied angrily.

"What? Your broken English is getting to you that you can't hear anymore?" AJ continued.

"What the hell has gotten into you, AJ?" Harry yelled with confusion.

"No one's talking to you, Wonder boy!" AJ growled, her voice changing slightly.

"Are you all right, dear?" Molly asked kindly, worriedly.

"Just fine as I'm not as poor as you people are! Mudblood lovers!"

AJ was suddenly thrown against the back door, ice forming over her wrists and ankles to keep her in place and not hit anyone. Mia walked forward, anger radiating off of her.

"Get out of her, Africa."

AJ laughed, though it was not her. "I am too powerful for this girl; she won't be able to stop me." Africa growled happily.

"Get out or I will make you!" Mia replied dangerously, walking even closer to her possessed friend.

"You do not have the power!" Africa mocked her.

Everyone started to notice the windows turn to ice then formed into icicles, which moved towards Mia and the possessed AJ.

"You want to bet?" Mia growled, searching AJ's mind.

A few seconds later AJ/Africa gasped before fainting. Mia dropped her ice power, Bill (who ran forward) held up the unconscious teenager. Mia fell to her knees, feeling weak from using her powers for so long.

"Take her upstairs now." Mia ordered before looking at Harry, who was by her side. "We need to figure out that riddle, _now_!"

George edged over to his twin. "Do you still want to be with her, Fred?" He whispered, but everyone still heard due to the deadly silence. "I mean, you don't _ever_ want to piss her off! All that anger and power inside her!"

"Stop it George, it would be good for him!" Molly piped up. "Fred needs a girl like Mia to keep him on his toes. Hopefully you'll find one too!"

Fred walked over to his distraught girlfriend being held up by Harry. He placed an arm around her waist, Harry letting her go as Mia leaned into Fred. The older teen kissed her temple, holding her closer.

"I am truly sorry, everyone, for what Africa said." Mia mumbled, hiding her face into Fred's shoulder.

"It was not your fault, dear," Molly told her quietly.

"Yez, your friend waz pozzezzed. It'z not her fault!" Fleur told her with a warm smile.

_'Yes, but what she said about you was true.'_

Mia laughed, shaking her head. "Mrs. Weasley!"

Molly blushed before clearing her throat. "Yes, well, breakfast is ready. Come, let's eat."

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**A/N: Sorry, sorry! Aside from writer's block, I've been working too many hours. Well, I hope you liked this chapter, please review!!**


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